Bernard Jansen, owner of Firejuice, says that the market wants you to bring your prices down, compares you with the next best alternative, bombards you with requests for quotations and prefers to dish out work through tenders only. The market is the enemy that wants you to fail.
When we refer to the ‘target’ market, launching a marketing ‘campaign’, gathering market ‘intelligence’ and sending your sales force ‘into the field’ we are referring to the art of commercial warfare that is marketing. Anything that involves war requires strategy. Your battle plan is essentially your marketing plan.
Strategy is an overused word. Working with entrepreneurs, I know how strong the urge is to ‘just get it done and not over-think it’. A propensity for action is good, but it is no good if you don’t focus your efforts.
Recently we heard that the once mighty Group Five had to file for business rescue. Fundamentally, what happened to them, or any one of the thousands currently in trouble, is the market beat them to a pulp. Simple as that. It tore into them with its number one weapon: a price war.
Marketing is commercial warfare. To survive, you need strategy, tactics and brilliant execution.
