The Strategy accelerator - Business models with sustainable competitive advantage

The Strategy accelerator - Business models with sustainable competitive advantage

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  ALFRED GRIFFIOEN The StrategyAccelerator Business models for sustainable competitive advantage
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  Introduction: why aresome companies making a big profit and others not? Why are Wall mart and Google performing, and General Motors and City group suddenly not any more? What makes it that one shop in a street is „hot‟, and the other is not? A lot has to do with the people that thrive the company, and their talents. Of course, working hard is also important, but it is no guarantee for success. Decisive is what you offer, to whom your are offering it and how you do it. That‟s your business model. Research has shown that your resources and Competition Power of intensity suppliers your strategy are the most important influencers on your success in the market. Respectively 28% 15% 32% and 41% of the variance in success is caused by 41% Success in 31% Financial Strategy variances in recourses and strategy. The the market results intensity of the competition is not that 70% 28% important. Only powerful suppliers can bargain out their share of your financial results. Resources The concept of the Strategy accelerator combines aspects from „outside-in‟ theories that primarily focus on market opportunities and „inside-out‟ theories like the Resource Based View that take the capabilities of the company as a starting point. No model can give a complete answer on how to manage your company. But the value of this concept is that, on the basis of a simple assessment of the firm‟s position, it gives clear directions on how to further develop the company towards profitability. 2
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  Only by developingnew business models you can make more profit than the average in your branch How to achieve growth and to make a profit? Mainly by being different than others. By coming up with new business models: completely new products, added services, different ways to pay, surprising experiences. In that way you can create a sort of monopoly, in which you determine the price at which your profit is maximised. price monopoly price in competition demand curve demand curve profit price of the competitor profit costs costs numbers numbers sold sold As soon as your business model is copied and more competitors arise, you can‟t determine the price yourself any more. You can only sell when you‟re asking the same or a lower price than your competitors. Your profits will decline. 3
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  You can dothis by finding new chances in the value network: chances that you can utilise with your organisation Your company does not stand alone but is part of the value network: a network that has branches and funnels, that extends itself even to the consumer and that does not only contain money and goods, but also information. Where is your expertise? Can you skip steps, make combinations with other suppliers or incorporate their offerings? What means or competences do you have that are valuable, scarce, difficult to imitate for others and easily applicable for you? Supplier Consumer Supplier Customer Consumer Supplier Company Customer Consumer Supplier Customer Consumer 4
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  What classical strategiesare there to help us? Porter, Treacy & Wiersema and the BGC portfolio matrix are used most Michael Porter (1980) Michael Treacy and Fred If you have more products, the suggests either to choose for Wiersema (1995) see three Boston Consulting Group portfolio (product) differentiation or for directions for standing out from matrix gives guidance how to cost leadership. To strive for your competitors: product direct the cash flows in your both, a differentiated product leadership, which is constantly company: depending on market and the lowest price, will get improving and reinventing your growth and market share, one you „stuck in the middle‟. The product range, customer should invest or divest in certain only possibility for this intimacy, providing the best-to- activities. Cash cows are used to combination is in a well fit solution for well defined and finance the growth of the Star defined niche market, the well known customer groups products. Divest the Dogs, and focus strategy. and operational excellence, keep a close watch on Question providing a solution with the marks. The basic presumption of most efficient process and in the model is that with high market general lowest costs for the share you can get scale customer advantages. Market Product growth Lowest costs Differentiation Leadership Broad focus Question Product High Star Cost mark differen- leadership tiation Cashflow Minimum level ‘Stuck in the middle’ Low Cash cow Dog Focus strategy Operational Customer Market Narrow focus High Low Excellence Intimacy share 5
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  Internet has madeit easier to copy good ideas and to make price comparisons If one development has been dominant in the last decade in the way consumers and companies do business, it is the ever growing availability of information, facilitated by the internet. Consumers, purchasing companies and governmental institutions have increasingly better knowledge of the market and can compare products from several companies. With a few mouse clicks and phone calls they can fulfill their needs with suppliers from all over the world. Internet search and even online auctions replaces more and more the relationship based purchasing process. Through this availability of information it is also easier for small innovative companies to offer their services and to compete with large players. This leads to faster product rationalisation. With easier distribution of technology the number of competitors for a certain product increased and prices decline. Price (€) A good example can be found in two comparable products, the video recorder 1500 Video recorders and the dvd-player. The video recorder was dvd players developed in a time that information 1000 exchange was slow, and it took competitors a long time to develop a comparable 500 product. With the dvd-player this was already different. 0 6
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  Capital flows aregoing outside the company: not the board of directors, but the shareholders decide where to invest In the twentieth century the main objective of practically every company was growth. Growth provided economies of scale, made a lucrative position as market leader possible and above all: growth and the connected investments were a logical way to reinvest profits. When also the financial sector globalised, it became easier to reinvest profits from one company into another if that had a better performance or lower risk profile. In recent years under influence of large private investors transparency has increased, moving the investment decision from a company level to an activity level. The added value of a holding company or corporate head office is discussed more frequently. Together with the internet this makes the resources available in a company less relevant. Knowledge can be more easily obtained, relevant components and partners can be found all over the world. With a good idea financial resources can be more easily obtained. Active investors can choose in which company to invest and which capabilities to combine. This makes not large corporations, but specialised organisations with high added value activities leading in the new economy. 7
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  Internet and theglobalisation of financial markets have changed business: classical strategies do not apply any more The three strategies of The three directions of What happened in the Michael Porter (1980) Treacy & Wiersema (1995) internet age? Current validity  Customer intimacy: There are many suppliers Customer relevance: Focus strategy: having a complete offering with a broad offering. being seen as relevant targeting on a niche for specific customer groups Customers can choose by your customer group  Product leadership: The enormous diversity of Product differentiation: (Continuously) having continuously introducing new products makes it hard to having a better product unique products products stand out  Operational excellence: Cost advantage is easily Cost leadership: having the lowest total costs, copied or leveled down. No sustainable strategy having the lowest costs including costs of your client Scale can be bought Cost based strategies and scale advantages can easily be copied in a transparent world where always is cash for a good business idea. Operational excellence is only a constraint, but not a differentiator any more. Sustainable competitive advantage can only be achieved by having a unique product or by really being relevant for your customer 8
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  Depending on yoursustainable competitive advantage you can choose your strategy High customer relevance As indicated before there are two generic and no unique product: High customer relevance forms of differentiation that bring sustainable Combine several and a unique product: matching products Consolidate your competitive advantage in the current under your brand and position by constant transparent world: (continuously) having a become even more renewal and by keeping unique product and having customer relevant for your close watch on your relevance. The two forms have different High customers competitors dimensions and can be set out in a matrix, the Strategy accelerator. With this model you can decide on your optimal strategy, depending on your competitive advantage: ally, combine, excel or consolidate. Just as with a car you don‟t start a company Low in the fourth gear: you have to carefully build on your sources of profitability. The strategy Low customer relevance and no unique product: accelerator forces a clear choice for one of Ally with others as the the two directions to differentiate yourself: quickest way to build up either with a unique product or through the right competences or market relevance. Both options don‟t exclude product portfolio Low customer relevance each other, but with limited means you can and a unique product: only focus on one. No Excel in what you do to make sure that you can Yes continue to develop unique products and 9 services
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  Ally to expandyour market relevance or to develop new products faster The majority of the companies starts in the first gear: they have low customer relevance and no unique product. Their profitability is often limited and is mainly determined by the balance between supply and demand in the market. Instead of investing yourself, hiring these competences or taking over a company with these competences you can better start an alliance. In this way you gain extra market relevance or develop a new product with a limited investment and less risks. When starting an alliance Contractual Basis Balance between partners three aspects are important: the 3 B‟s of partnerships What legal form will be Do both partners have most appropriate? equal influence? Business model In which way are How to ensure that the In what way will more agreements described? employees support the profits be made jointly than alliance as well? by the partners separately? What happens in case of a conflict or when the How to resolve conflicts of How will the profits be alliance terminates in interests? divided? another way? The business model, the contractual basis and the balance between partners are three important aspects 10
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  Example: Mechatronics Partners Sixsmall technological companies working together in client projects In 2006 a number of Dutch companies active in the field of electronics, optical equipment, injection molding and metal working found each other and started to cooperate under the name Mechatronics Partners. All are relatively small in size and turnover, but together they have around 600 employees, of which 100 engineers in the field of designing, engineering and constructing of electronic equipment like dvd- players, control cabinets and industrial machines. The basis rules for the cooperation were put on only three sheets of paper: • Every company does acquisition from its own network. Joint sales and marketing activities are paid together • Every month representatives from the companies sit together to discuss the market opportunities and to decide in which combination a bid will be made. Each participating company will calculate its cost price, the margin is decided jointly. External quotations are used to monitor the competitiveness of the prices. • In case of a successful bid, one of the companies will provide a project leader, who coordinates the joint efforts and is contact person for the customer The expected extra turnover as a result of this team approach for 2009 is between 2 and 3 million euro, which is on a total of around 100 million joint turnover relatively small, but most of it is yearly returning revenue. Apart from that the sharing of contacts and market information has helped the individual companies to expand their own activities. 11
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  Combine products andservices to create customer relevance: the overlap between the customer needs and your brand promise Customers pay attention to your product when your message is relevant to them at that moment. That will happen if their actual need is answered by the promise that your brand makes, and how this is fulfilled in products, services, distribution or your marketing communications. Customer relevance always starts with a clear brand promise. Every person has a number of generic needs: security, friendship, relaxation, efficiency and success. Depending on the context or situation you are in, these generic needs are translated to actual needs. When you want to have dinner with your friends you will probably choose another restaurant than with your parents. Portfolio Generic management needs Actual Fulfillment of Customer customer your brand promise relevance needs Distribution and Context / communications Situation Customer relevance is created by combining the right products and services. Your brand stands for the overall promise: the cheapest, the coolest or the most reliable products. By combining more „matching‟ products and services in your offering, your turnover and profit grow. 12
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  Example: variety storeHema has strict portfolio management to make their clients’ selection process a bit easier The variety store Hema provides a large number of basic products from clothing, household products, food and personal care items up to simple insurances. Working from the motto: “An easier and nicer life must be accessible for everyone”, Hema has based its proposition on the following customer insight: In this complex world it is important for me to shift That gives a lot of pressure for myself Therefore I like it when I constantly have to make small choices in my life are important decisions made easier and clear This insight perfectly places the generic need for independency in the context of shopping for basic products. Hema has responded to that with a portfolio management in which there are at maximum three variants per product: good, better and best. For most products there is only one choice: a reliable alternative, only with the Hema brand, that is not expensive, but also not the cheapest you can get on the market. The concept is supported with a bright, consistent furnishing of the stores and people oriented advertising and an extensive distribution network, e.g. on railway stations. 13
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  Only if youexcel in a certain specialism you can continuously develop clearly unique products Within a business model a unique product always has a clear, not easy to imitate, advantage compared to competing products. It is not about having a coffee machine in a different colour, a camera with a few more mega pixels or a family car with a bit different design. Being different is not good enough, it‟s about being extraordinary. Developing a unique product or service requires continuous investments in building the right competences, in idea selection, development and the right way of market introduction. Research learns us that four aspects are essential to continuously come up with new products or services: • A strong management focus on innovation. When the director or CEO is Openness of the business model not convinced, nothing will happen; • Openness of the business model: talk with clients, make contact with universities, Focus Managed New product find partners; on development process or service innovation • Skills and creativity: train people and cherish their ideas; • A managed development process: Skills and creativity regularly review the status of your innovations and don‟t be afraid to stop with inferior ideas. 14
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  Example: 3M focuseson being a technology leader and selects it employees on being innovative 3M is a worldwide company with around 76.000 employees in more than 60 countries. For most consumers only known from the post-it memo‟s, 3M has a wide product range with highly technological products. And even the post-it memo is not that simple: “It‟s not just a paper with poor glue. If you take it off, the glue has to stick on the memo, and not on the object you placed the memo on.” 7000 researchers are working on new knowledge and solutions for the 45 technology platforms that 3M has created. People are stimulated to come up with new solutions, for 3M products but also for their everyday work. This is stimulated by top management with awards and by actively sharing success stories. All employees are hired and evaluated on basis of six types of behaviour, like inside-out thinking, openness for innovation and taking brave decisions. Most products are developed together with a number of leading customers, to make sure that they really fulfil a need. Since around 10 years 3M has a structured product introduction program. There is a clear development process with „gates‟, moments when is decided whether 3M will proceed with a new product. In this way R&D is kept efficient. 15
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  Consolidate by continuouslyworking on your market relevance and on new unique products You have high relevance for your customer and unique products or services. What to do to maintain this strong status? The strategy for companies in this gear is both to combine and excel. Keep a close watch on your competitors, when necessary incorporate them or chase them away. Apple is certainly an example. With first the Mac, later the iPod and now the iPhone Apple has a keen sense of what customers want and the ability to translate the newest and patented technology into unique products. Although one can argue that there are multiple MP3-players on the market, only Apple has its patented click wheel and its intuitive customer interface. On being a relevant supplier for your customers, Apple combines its own products with a range of software products and music and video from various artists and amateurs in The Apple Store. And keep a close watch on your competitors Don‟t take your position for granted. Competitors are constantly trying to copy your products, services and brand characteristics. Keep a close watch on them, and where necessary defy or incorporate them. Also alliances can be a powerful tool to strengthen your market position or to create even newer products or services. 16
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  Example: Singapore Airlinesleads with innovation on board and with a strong brand promise: “A great way to fly” Singapore Airlines has a consecutive record of being the first: in the 1980‟s it had the first A300 Superbus, the B747-300 Big Top, the B757 and the A310-200. It was also the first airline in the world to operate an commercial flight across the Pacific Ocean. In the 1990s, Singapore Airlines revolutionized inflight communications and entertainment through the KrisFone - the first global sky telephone service – and a full interactive inflight entertainment system – even in the economy class. In 2007 it was the first airline that had an A380 operational, offering something that no other airline did: privacy, with the personal suites in the „beyond first class‟. This product leadership was combined with the establishment of a strong brand. The brand promise „A great way to fly‟ has been filled in with impeccable service, extensive and user-friendly internet ordering and check-in, meals developed by internationally known chefs and –despite all that – fairly competitive pricing. Singapore Airlines became a full member of the global Star Alliance in 2000 and with it came „seamless‟ worldwide air travel. With the extensive network of partner airlines, connecting flights, frequent flyer points, and baggage clearance this has helped them to consolidate their position 17
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  The core ofyour business model is the added value for your customer Once you have determined your competitive strategy, you can work it out into a business model description. Such a description helps to communicate your plan with your stakeholders, such as banks, partners and employees. There are many ways to describe your Key capabilities Customer relationships business model. Slywotzki has made a Key Value Customer structure and 22 archetypes, Kaplan and partners proposition segments Norton have created their Strategy Key Channels maps. On of the most complete resources structures is of Alexander Osterwalder, Cost Revenue structure streams consisting of nine aspects. Banks and (potential) shareholders will always look at the validity and potential of your business model. This can be easily tested with just three questions: • Does your value proposition take away pain or discomfort for your customer? Is there really a need for it? • Is your business model scalable, or does it only build on very specific resources, like a location of the personal skills of the entrepreneur? • Is there a lock-in, or can customers easily go to competitor? If you‟re using Microsoft Windows, it‟s a big step to go to Linux. It‟s a smaller step to choose another brand of toothpaste. 18
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  The Strategy acceleratorcompleted To summarise, think of these three points: move this way with development alliances 1. Determine which kind of sustainable competitive advantage you currently have. Do you have unique products or services or are you really relevant to your customers? High How easy can this be copied? 2. Build on your existing competitive Customer relevance advantages by excelling in what you do or by combining more products and services under your brand. If you have no real move this competitive advantages, focus then on only way with one of these directions. marketing 3. Uses alliances and partnerships to alliances strengthen your strategy and to profit from resources that you don‟t have yourself. Look for complementing companies and use their skills or market. Low Just go and gear up! No Unique product? Yes 19
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  Alfred Griffioen, specialistin the effect of alliances on your business model Alfred Griffioen (1972) has a background as strategic marketing manager and business development manager. After a period as manager at a strategy consultancy he is now partner of Alliance experts, advising on strategic partnerships and matching companies that are looking for an alliance partner. He is the author of the book “Het Senseo-effect”, which is a practical guide to alliances. In 2009 he wrote “De Strategieversnelling”, which links the formation of alliances to competitive strategy. In 2011 a new book about business models for alliances will be Alliance experts published. Specialists in partnerships More of his presentations in English are available on Slideshare. Alfred Griffioen is available for lectures and workshops. He can be contacted on +31 6 24 77 68 65 or through [email protected]. 20