Your Business “line of attack”.
Do Not Read These Secrets. Act on Them.

Your Business in a War Zone.
Believe it or not your business plans are not worth very much until a clear executable game plan has been drawn up and you have reached a concrete point to follow those plans through to success. This commitment is what you must show investors, employees, business partners, even the board of directors.
Most importantly, ambitiously plot a business course from your current market position bearing in mind the necessity of productive offerings that must please your target audience; those very important individuals, groups or organization that will help you business achieve your performance targets.

Your Market The Battle.
A characteristic move you should constantly consider in your category market is to provide a product or service that is distinctive from what competitors are offering, finding viable advantages to outperform these competitors which invariably subject to test, your management ability on how strongly or weakly you may have managed to create every set of move to your advantage. This tested ability is what will mar or sustain your competitive advantage.
Without a competitive advantage, your business risk being perceived as weak or locked into mediocre financial performance.

Understanding your Strengths via the Power of the Enemy.If we play a game of association and I say Coke, more than likely you will say Pepsi. The rivalry has gone on for so long, that it is almost legendary. Brand Managers at Coke and Pepsi know that going to work is like going to war. In fact the chances are that Coke would not be what it is today if there was no Pepsi and vice versa. The rivalry has forced both brands to grow and perpetually challenge one another for market leadership.

Marching Against Your Enemies:

Captain Low-Cost Provider:
Being the industry’s low cost captain, could be one strategy you could use as approach to gain competitive advantage while aspiring towards market leadership. There are several examples of businesses that have used the low-cost strategy to gain some bit of edge against their category rivals. Globacom comes into mind as an excellent example of a successful Nigerian mobile telecommunication low-cost captain.
Glo’s ability to under price her category rivals at the advent of her launch into the market and the dramatic turn the company took to introduce a remarkably low (at that time) per second billings system won the hearts of many mobile phone users in Nigeria, and as such helped the company recruit battalions of new mobile phone users, and also gave her rival players a dashing run for their money as they scrambled to save their already irritated users from switching over unto the messianic gestures of captain Globacom.

Major Niche Narrower:
Now you may wonder if Nigeria has got any company winning and gaining its edge from serving the special needs and taste of niche buyers. What about Akintola Deliotte Williams? That audits and accounting company in Nigeria, prominently enjoying competitive success in a specialized market niche its management has created for itself.
The company’s strategy to be known only for that one competence and nothing more has earned it the recognition and reputation for being the audits and accounting guru company its known as today. For Akintola Deloitte Williams, the fundamental concept of achieving a sustainable competitive advantage by being accepted by an attractive number of buyers as well as becoming the preferred one over her rival competitors has been fulfilled. This result is success as far as art of business is concerned.

General Resource Capabilities:
Being a “General” in the army sure testifies to no other edge than years of valuable expertise and understanding of war challenges, battles, leadership and the capability to lead other leaders unto combat and come out victorious.
Your company can as well develop expertise and resource strengths that will give you the competitive capability inimitable by rivals.
Your competition can copy the attributes of your innovation or product benefits and features but will hardly match the experience, know-how and specialized capabilities your company has developed and perfected over long years of repeat process and implementation.

In the End.
I see this piece being read by rival Brand Managers and Business Development Managers operating in the same industry and I simply smile knowing they both are acquainted with the fundamentals concepts, techniques and approaches mentioned here. Being free to follow these instructions is given, but more often than not, the difference between their levels of success lies in the relative thoroughness, commitment and self-discipline with which they develop and execute their business line of attack.
Finally, make sure your business is better perceived as the best more than any other in your category.


*Adu Olatunbosun enjoys studying brands and their martial strategies.