23 Feb 2008 03:21:20 | Nutty marketer
When two companies go head to head, the same principle applies.
God smiles on the larger sales force.
Given a virgin territory, the company with the larger sales
force is likely to wind up with the larger share of the market.
Once the market is divided up, the company with the larger share
is likely to continue to take business away from the smaller
company.
The bigger company can afford a bigger advertising budget, a
bigger research department, more sales outlets, etc. No wonder
the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.
Is there no future for the small competitor? Of course there is
which one reason why this book was written is. (General Motors,
General Electric, and IBM don't need to study Clausewitz to be
successful.)
But smaller companies with smaller market shares do need to
think like field commanders. They must keep in mind the first
principle of warfare, the principle of force, be it military or
marketing. "The art of war with a numerically inferior army,"
said Napoleon "consists in always having larger forces than the
enemy at the point which is to be attacked or defended."
Custer could have become one of our nation's most famous heroes
if he could have gotten the Sioux to attack over the hill one at
e time.
Military generals know the importance of the principle of force.
That's why they spend so much time studying the order of battle
of an opposing force. For purposes of morale, however, a general
tries to fire up his troops by telling them what good soldiers
they are and what great equipment they have.
"Now we have the finest food, equipment, the best spirit and the
best men in the world," said George C. Scott in his role as
General George S. Patton, Jr. "You know, by god, I actually pity
those poor bastards we're going up against."
Many marketing generals do the same thing and fall victim to
their own rhetoric. In particular they talk themselves into the
"better people" or the "better product" fallacies.
About Author :
This article may be re-printed as long as following resource box
is included as it is with out any alteration.
