The market is a jungle.
Considering this statement will be very important if it is assimilated in order to visualize the field of sales action in a more efficient way for the evolution of each business or activity.
In order to be able to apply it, it will facilitate the fact of understanding better the reason why each hunting animal clearly demarcates it to avoid the presence of other specimens that take their prey from them in order to survive, and even give their lives defending it since If you do not, your livelihood and that of your offspring will be at serious risk.
Its results depend on it, but in business other management strategies and tools are used to defend it where the emotional intelligence applied in the management of own resources must achieve the desired goal of keeping it with the highest degree of security.
Analyzing the market
When operating in the commercialization of products or services in a market, with very few exceptions, it is difficult to be the sole provider.
In the supposed case of being one of these privileged ones, at some point the attractive profit that your business obtains will also be enough to invite one or more new competitors to participate in it at any time.
The attitude based on ignoring their competition or on a plain and simple disinterest in knowing them with the depth that is required does nothing but weaken the company strategically.
Going back to the jungle example, every hunter specimen always wins when it surprises its competitor with a strategy that minimizes its defensive or escape reaction. To do this, he identifies them and studies them carefully and thoroughly.
At any given moment, any successful management that is taking place under that attitude can suddenly vanish in terms of sales management results. What is serious about the case is that when this moment arrives, it turns out to be too late to react efficiently and effectively to minimize said effect on the operation itself.
According to the experience of events such as the one described, this negative effect can only be reversed at a very high operating cost and only with the efficient implementation of the best strategy. Despite this, it would be an extraordinary case for him to reach the leadership he previously possessed.
For this reason, the analysis must conclude with the full knowledge of all the competitors, their products or services, marketing conditions, periodic sales levels, quality of customer service, and everything that allows describing an objective framework that contributes to meet and share with all members of the sales team.
Furthermore, this analysis should not only be carried out with direct competitors, whose offer is practically similar or very close to their own. To this must be added all the substitute suppliers, who in some way or another compete affecting their own management.
Keys to differentiate yourself from the competition
In order to establish a methodology of permanent consideration on this strategic issue of each business, recommendations are provided below that will be extremely useful to preserve or increase its position in its market:
The maximum executive must ensure the permanent obtaining of information from its competitors and substitutes through its operational structure. This should not be "an instant photograph" or an isolated attitude, but "a permanent audio and video broadcast" throughout its operational existence.
Adjust the conditions of your offer, improving them and providing a difference from your competitors, to facilitate the generation of more sales.
Any additional benefits that are attractive to your current and potential clients are a differentiating element from your competitors and must be established and implemented effectively and without unnecessary delay.
Train the representatives with the comparative information (previously analyzed) of each competitor and develop response arguments that allow refuting objections that are presented in each interview.
Improve the current levels of pre and post sales service so that the difference in the quality of care of all its competitors increases significantly, through the management of all the representatives. All the members of the organization who may be in direct contact with the opportunities to sell to customers and interested parties are involved in it.
It should be noted that it is not convenient to expect a direct reaction from each action implemented and considered individually. On the contrary, the result in sales will arise as a result of joint strategic actions and successful ones in the market, which, if applied consistently, will provide much more than expected in the medium and long term.
Conclusions
According to the law of the jungle, the animal that is stripped of its territory is a direct consequence of the fact that it was not in a position to be its owner until that precise moment.
This may come from the side of surprise or from that of unpredictability for believing that if it was always his and there were no opponents of his stature in the past to try to take it from him, he became unconcerned with monitoring him and establishing means for his defense. And we also know what destiny holds for the loser.
It is a matter of attitude, that of being alert and expectant to the movements that occur in each field of action, anticipating and acting efficiently based on sound decisions that do not admit delays. Otherwise, and as is often said among friends, "crocodile that falls asleep becomes a wallet."
© Copyright 2005, by Martín E. Heller
