Strategic Discipline Blog

A common mistake small to mid-size businesses make is trying to be good at everything.

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Topics: customer service, Differentiation, Differentiation Strategy, Key Attribution Framework, Uncommon Service, The Four Service Truths, Frances Frei Anne Morriss

Differentiating your business is challenging. It involves dynamic competitors, changing buyer behaviors, market conditions, trends, and frequently changing technology.

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Topics: strategy, strategy decisions, Strategy - How, Differentiation Strategy, 3HAG WAY, Activity Fit Map, 3HAG, Differentiating Activities

You can’t be everything to everyone. The greatest example of winning is choosing not to do what everyone else is doing and to focus on something unique.

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Topics: Barriers to Business Growth, Differentiation, Differentiation Strategy, Key Attribution Framework, 3HAG WAY, Activity Fit Map

Developing a 3 Year Plan is an important part of strategic planning. We’ve shared several methods and tools to help you in this process including (Why Have a 3 – 5 Year Plan?) where we offered insights from Simon Sinek and Kaihan Krippendorff’s Outthinker Process to help you vision bigger.

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Topics: strategy, Strategic Planning, Differentiation Strategy, Key Attribution Framework, 3HAG WAY, 3 Year Plan, Key Capabilities, Growth Framework

The contractor did remodels. He worked in the Chicago Suburbs and had a thriving business. The systems he’d developed built consistency and predictability. His team knew how to do their jobs, by following his precise systems. His firm had the area’s best reputation.

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Topics: Differentiation, One Phrase Strategy, Strategy Decision, Differentiation Strategy, Competitive Strategy, Key Attribution Framework, 3HAG WAY

When Positioning Systems started in 1998 my intention was to help businesses discover their unique and valuable position. For 20 years I helped business create messages to differentiate from their competition. Jack Trout and Al Ries’ classic marketing book Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind provided this impetus. A classic positioning example was 7-Up’s, The Uncola!

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Topics: strategy, strategy decisions, Strategy - How, Low-Cost Strategy, Differentiation Strategy, Strategy Question, Competitive Strategy, Key Attribution Framework, 3HAG WAY

Michael Porter’s Definition of Strategy is: the creation of a unique and valuable position, involving a different set of activities.

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Topics: strategy, market dynamics, Strategy - How, Differentiation Strategy, 3HAG WAY

Let’s take two quick surveys today.

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Topics: strategy, competitive advantage, Strategy - How, Differentiation Strategy, Competitive Strategy, 3HAG WAY

How do strategies differ?

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Topics: strategy, Strategy Decision, Playing To Win, Winning Strategy, Low-Cost Strategy, Differentiation Strategy