Jan 18 Article Its a marathon not a sprint

2. It’s a marathon, not a sprint…
Jan 2018
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3. Ever noticed how many companies claim to be number one in their
sector? So frequently has the term ‘market-leading’ been bandied
around it’s actually lost all meaning.
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4. Here’s why. Not everyone can be number one. Rules change over time
and things never stay the same. This is abundantly clear when you look
at the companies on the FTSE100 now compared to 10 years ago –
there are major differences and some notable disappearances.
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5. So if being first in your sector now has little cache, perhaps a better
goal is not to beat your competitors, but instead to outlast them. After
all, being first at the 400 metre mark of a marathon won’t necessarily
help you win the race. Go too quickly and you’re more likely to hit the
wall.
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6. Solution: maintain your resources
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7. Outlasting your competitors brings your strategic direction to the fore.
A good starting point is to look at the activities which could damage
your ability to outlast your competitors.
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8. A good example is your pricing, and not dropping your prices just
because your competitor has. Lower prices may be damaging. They
may be unsustainable. Most of all, they may be unnecessary. If you
understand why your competitors are doing what they’re doing, you
don’t need to react to their every move.
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9. So while your competitors may be doing some great things, you should
only look to better what they are doing if they do not damage what you
stand for and your most valuable tool, your resources.
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10. Protect your ethics, and you can outlast your competitors, without the
distraction of artificially leading them.
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11. Thank you www.octopusintelligence.co.uk
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