Why Do Your Customers Buy from You Versus the Competition?

This is the most fundamental question that any business needs to answer.  Are you focused on operational excellence? Product or service innovation? Or is your approach more about customer intimacy?  We call this Market Discipline- and whatever your answer, a rigorous and constant internal focus on that approach is the key to measurable success.

Most organizations are trying to deliver several different kinds of value to their customers- innovation, customization, cost, etc.  However, striving for excellence in too many areas of customer value creates at best a mediocre deliverable and at its worst, a watered-down, in-effective client outcome.

Why? Because each discipline or approach requires specific employee skill sets and activities.  You may not have all the right skill sets to deliver on each unique value proposition and what’s more, employee activities may be in conflict and then trade-offs need to be made to the detriment of your client deliverables.

As an example, if a Vice President of Sales for an organization pushes their team to emphasize the ability to customize the product to client need while the Vice President of Operations is focused on operational excellence, limiting variations and inconsistencies in their product or service, we are going to see some incompatible activities and approaches that will negatively impact not only the execution of your strategy but ultimately your business results.

Your Market Discipline- your answer to the question, “Why do people buy from us versus the competition?” serves as the critical framework for decision-making and prioritizing employee activities.  It also lives at the center of your strategy- providing the backdrop for anticipating market changes, responding to the need for product innovation, and so much more. 

Do you know why your customers buy from you?  Are you clean and clear on your market discipline approach?  If not- we can help you define these and assess your execution capabilities.  Reach out at info@realgoodventures.com

 Up next in our blog series. we will focus on the importance of having Strategic Intent.