Baseball strategy is a lot like business strategy.
In baseball we develop our players, study our competitors, and then write a line-up to compete effectively. During the game, we continuously analyze our plan and might change pitchers or switch hitters to gain or maintain an advantage on the playing field...but the ultimate goal is to win! In business we develop a product or service, study the industry, and then position our company accordingly to compete effectively. During the game, we continuously analyze our plan and might modify our product or strengthen our service to gain or maintain an advantage in the marketplace...but the ultimate goal is to win! Winning should be at the heart of any strategy. As a small business owner you pour your blood, sweat and tears into your efforts and so many times you don't see the results you desire. At Scopo, we want you to win in the marketplace. We want you to see the results you desire. We want to be your strategic advisors! In baseball and in business, strategy is all about making the right set of choices. Contact Scopo today to speak with a trusted strategic advisor who has the expertise and capabilities to help you obtain the results you desire! What is strategy? How does strategy work?
These are the two questions we get asked the most at Scopo. Here are the answers. Strategy is "aligning" decisions to uniquely "position" your company/division/product/service to create a "sustainable advantage" and "maximum value" as compared to the competition. OK, so what the heck does this mean?!?!? Let's simplify. Developing a strategy requires you to have a goal in mind and make the best decisions to achieve the goal. Let's say your goal is to be the regional leader as a low-cost package delivery service. OK, how do you do this? There are many questions you must answer such as what resources and capabilities are needed, how best to market your service, and what type of management systems and structures are required to achieve your goal? A strategy will NOT ONLY identify what resources and capabilities are needed such as cash and skilled labor, NOT ONLY identify how best to market your service such as with a strong advertising campaign, and NOT ONLY identify what type of management systems and structures are needed such as IT software programs and a knowledgeable sales force....... But a strategy will allow you to decide the BEST way to utilize your cash and skilled labor, allow you to decide the BEST way to advertise your service, and allow you to decide the BEST type of IT software and salesperson training programs are needed. Here's the kicker... • A strategy will "align" all of your decisions toward the goal in mind. This saves you a tremendous amount of time, energy and money! • A strategy uniquely "positions" your service - meaning you will know exactly which customers you will pursue, and your customers will know what real value you will provide them • And a strategy will create a "sustainable advantage" because you will know how to stay two steps ahead of your competition, and create "maximum value" for your company as compared to the competition because you will know exactly how to reallocate all of that saved time, energy and money into your service so that your company can grow to its maximum potential over and over and over again. This is what is meant by TAKING OFF! And in the end, this is exactly what Scopo wants to do for your small business - TAKE OFF! When small businesses TAKE OFF our entire community TAKES OFF with new jobs and cash that gets reinvested back into the community over and over and over again! Every company/division/product/service are unique in their own special way with their own unique resources and capabilities. So a strategy will be unique too so that it identifies how best to "align" and "position" these resources and capabilities to create a "sustainable advantage" and "maximum value." A winning strategy determines the goals and objectives of a small business, and creates a plan to turn inputs into outputs - or, turn resources into something customers are willing to purchase. At Scopo, we understand what it takes to create maximum value for our local small businesses.
At Scopo, we believe the key to a successful small business is to align its "capabilities" with "customers' needs" in such a way that competitor offerings can't. Certain factors "enable or prevent" small businesses from success such as technology, demographics, regulation, a skilled labor market, and so on.
At Scopo, we help small businesses to find that strategic "sweet spot." Contact Scopo today to discuss how strategic planning can achieve valuable results for you small business and learn why "Your Scopo is Our Scopo!" Are you seeing the rewards of all your hard work? As a small business owner, you sacrifice a tremendous amount of your time and resources to build your company. Continuously working long hours, missing family functions, dealing with everyday surprises, complying with rules and regulations - the list is endless for many. Small business owners wear many hats, and how you find the energy to open your doors every day and keep a positive attitude is a true testament to your entrepreneur spirit.
But is it paying off the way you imagined it? Do your profits equal the amount of effort you put forth? If the answer is no, you are not alone. You have a plan. At Scopo, we call it a strategy. But are you successfully translating that plan into action? Or are you constantly being bombarded with “putting out fires” that are creating barriers to running your business the way you always imagined? Albert Einstein said “the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” Basically, you must adapt to the rapidly changing business environment or you’ll find yourself constantly “putting out fires” and never really get ahead. And you need a successful strategy to help close that gap between your hard work and the results you truly desire. Contact Scopo today to speak with a trusted strategic advisor who has the expertise and capabilities to help your small business achieve the results you desire, and you’ll quickly learn why we say “Your Scopo is Our Scopo!” |
AuthorJoe Immordino, MBA Archives
April 2017
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