Читать книгу Six-Week Start-Up - Rhonda Abrams - Страница 32

The late Eugene Kleiner, one of the world’s most successful venture capitalists, once told me that most companies don’t know what business they’re in. By this he meant that most businesspeople don’t understand the true basis on which they compete. Yes, they know how to make their products and invent their technologies, but they don’t really understand what makes their customers buy from them.

Today, defining a strategic position is as important for the proverbial “mom and pop” small business as it is for a high-technology company. It’s not enough to hang out a shingle that says, “I sell shoes,” or “I sell ecommerce technology.” You must have something that’s unique, that few others can offer, that makes your customers want to buy from you.

You have to understand how you meaningfully differentiate yourself from the competition—your strategic position in the marketplace.

Of course, the best strategic position is just to be better than the competition—the tennis racket you’ve invented enables players to hit harder, the graphic designs you create are more memorable. But those things are often a matter of judgment and hard to prove.

So, how do you develop a clear distinction between yourself and the competition? Your company’s strategic position can be based on:

Serving a specific niche in the market

Unique features of your product or service

Exceptional customer service

Price

Convenience, or

Anything that significantly distinguishes you from others who offer similar services or products.

The more you understand about your own company—and how you differ from others—the better able you are to compete.