Is your business gaming the system?
By this I mean, is your business undertaking effort to advantage itself over its competitors, in areas where you compete?
I had the experience last week of having my car serviced and being told that my tyres looked like they were in need of replacement, and that my wiper blades were at end-of-life. In the case of the wiper blades $120 was quoted. I advised the workshop not to proceed. I got on-line and found the wiper blades I needed at $24.95 for the set, no freight charge and even a video on how to replace them myself. Win number one.
Then, I booked my car into the tyre shop and the news wasn’t good. Yes all 4 tyres would need replacing in the short term, and as they are a performance tyre and unusual size fitting, and would need to be ordered in. I asked tyre guy two questions – what specials were coming up, and were there options on alternate tyre sizes. He checked. The brand of tyre I have fitted, is running a special next month – buy 4 and pay for only 3. That was a 25% saving. Alternatively, the size of tyre up from mine (popular on some higher-end SUV’s) would also be suitable. I could get them at nearly half the price of the existing tyres, which would be a saving of nearly 40%. Win number two.
So the moral to this story is not just about shopping around. This story is about putting yourself into a position where you can bend the system. So while neither of the two examples with my vehicle were dire, I did have an amount of time to play with, which was all I needed.
Are you doing the same within your business? Is your business able to bend (or game) the systems in which it operates, to create favour?
I see this in many businesses and opportunities I support in pursuing new business. In competitive bidding environments, such as tenders, most businesses just start typing – responding to the templated questions. They don’t ask themselves the critical questions needed to game the tender system. Typically businesses address tender questions diligently and with precision. This, however, is simply meeting tender compliance.
What is needed to get short-listed in tenders starts with working out what problems need to be solved? Get that right and you are well on your way. Then focus on the elements that position you as a stand-out; you could call it positioning or differentiation, or it may just be as simple as collecting knowledge of the tender company and the drivers behind their approach to market. This is your Value Proposition. This allows a relevant, tailored and purposeful response. It takes a little extra effort, but it really delivers. And isn’t that the end goal – to get the result you want?
Successful companies work this space and use their knowledge purposely, to advantage themselves. They game the system. Many of them, as Sun Tzu advocates, subdue their enemies without fighting. So for example, is it possible to intercept planned tender activities and proactively work with target businesses to give them what they are looking for; in this way you may be able to short-circuit a scheduled tendering process? This is especially common with contract renewals, where customers feel to compelled to “go to market” at the end of the contract term. To put this into context, each time a business goes to market, it costs them time and effort. You may be able to save them both.
Look for the ways you can game your systems to deliver competitive advantage. You may be surprised how little extra effort is needed to deliver that edge, and provide the difference you need, to get the result you deserve.
If you are looking at ways to game your business pursuit systems, feel free to call or visit Local Roaming for an open and objective discussion.