Bears/Packers is the oldest rivalry in the NFL and its games
have featured legendary icons like Halas, Lombardi, Butkus, Favre, and Payton,
to name a few. What makes it even more interesting is to hear players and
coaches talk about a game, because that’s not really something we get to do in
business. In an article
posted recently, the article talks about the familiarity these teams have
with each other and how that affects their game plan. In essence, they know
each other so well that they’re not going to make any drastic changes to their
strategy – they’re going to make minor tweaks and stick to what they know best.
Now think about that in regards to your top competitor.
Chances are, you know they are going to be in involved in a lot of your deals.
How well do you know what they’re going to do and what they’re going to say?
Odds are, you know their pitch pretty well, even though you’ve likely never
seen it. Yet, knowing that, how often do you find yourself trying to outsmart
them with something new or catchy?
The thing is, we try to outthink ourselves too often in
business and vary our plan of attack instead of staying with our strengths
(which by proxy, allows your competitor to stay with their strength). In the
end, I think this backfires far more often than it succeeds.
Think about a pitch where you totally changed your strategy
based on what you thought a competitor might be coming in with? Did you roll
out a new deck? Custom build all sorts of proof of concept code? Bring in high
level execs?
Did it work? I’m guessing it didn’t, and it likely made you
look like some combination of nervous/desperate/unorganized because the team
probably hadn’t pitched in that configuration before. Clients pick up on that.
Now I’m not saying that you shouldn’t personalize your experience
for every client – you absolutely should!
But the elements that you personalize should be similar so that the overall
experience is 85% the same, 15% personalized, for each engagement. You’ll be
more confident in delivering the message and the client will be more responsive
to it because of that.
A rivalry means that both teams are winning a lot,
otherwise, if it’s lopsided, it’s not really a rivalry (think Indiana
basketball vs. Northwestern basketball). If your competitor is constantly
beating you, maybe you need to change your strategy. But, it should be a fundamental
change in strategy, not something crazy you thought of after two 5-Hour energy
drinks and a Red Bull.
Be consistent in your message. Learn it well and deliver it
often. Don’t try to be too cute. These concepts will help ensure that you
gain (or maintain) the upper hand over your rival.
And in case you’re wondering, I’m predicting a 24-14 Bears
victory Thursday night. Bear down!
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So THAT's why you won't bring me to meetings with you :) Your main message is spot on - confidence breeds success. There's nothing more powerful than a well coordinated sales team. But I think there are times when you have to deviate from the standard plays - I've seen the lots of situations where a well-executed custom demo or executive visit has turned a deal around. I think the ultimate answer is that you have to understand the opportunity well enough to know when going outside of the box is going to work.
ReplyDeleteHey, I'll take the big dog out anytime.. I think the point was more to not outthink things... It's like the MLB manager that redoes his lineup for the playoffs based on a matchup, even though it means putting inferior players on the field.. Totally agree that in the right situation, a custom demo or executive visit can be a huge asset.
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