Branding: The Competitive Edge in a “Flattening World”
Branding: The Competitive Edge in a “Flattening World”
In his article titled “Globalization and the Death of the Mid-sized Company,” Leamon A. Crooms III cites the “Cold Hard Facts”:
Cold Hard Fact #1 - Global competitors play by different rules set in their own geographical regions. So not only do many of them have lower labor costs, but they also have fewer government controls, giving them an additional cost advantage.
Cold Hard Fact #2 – In the future you will have less time to react to your competitors. Geographic distribution makes it harder to keep your eye on the global competitor. If they are test marketing a new product, then you may never know until it shows up in your back yard.
Cold Hard Fact #3 – They know more about you than you know about them. Generally, American mid- size businesses are far less familiar with international markets and cultures than international mid-size companies are with the US.
Cold Hard Fact #4 – Global competition will turn up the heat domestically. As domestic companies in the mid-market adapt to global competitors the domestic companies will become increasingly more competitive in their local markets.
So what do you do to protect your turf, to keep your product line from becoming commoditized.
My experience has been that companies simply have to change their value propositions. They have to redefine what they stand for and how they deliver unique value. In short, they have to reinvent their brands. Even single practitioners stand to win big or lose big, depending on whether they embrace or turn their backs on the “flattening” of our world. By thinking globally about your business and about your brand you can do more than survive globalization. You can thrive in it.
Here’s what’s been working for our clients.
Stand for one thing.
Stand for one thing, make it unique, make it simple, and you make it easier not only for regional prospects to find you, but global ones as well. If you’re struggling to define your unique value on a regional, national or industry-specific basis, how can you possibly do so globally?
Shift from order-taker to solutions provider.
Small and mid-sized companies can no longer sit back and expect the phone to ring with the next order. Build your brand around solutions, taking a proactive stance. Don’t wait for the market to drive you. Effectively competing on the global stage means you drive the market.
Expand your view to one that is global.
When you embrace globalization, you quickly realize that it’s less of a threat and more of an opportunity. Think of your business brand not in terms of what the region or industry might think of you, but what you want the WORLD to think of you. Start looking at overseas competition. See what they’re doing from a marketing standpoint. Learn and watch them, because they are certainly watching you.
Competition is competition.
It doesn’t matter if it’s down the street or on another continent. Size up your overseas competition in the same manner you would size up your domestic competition. Remember, don’t just look at what they’re doing wrong. Look at what they’re doing right. Only then can you put your brand in a position to best them.
Remember, with challenge and adversity comes opportunity. Embrace globalization instead of hiding or dismissing it, and you may do more than flourish. You may take a leadership position in this new competitive environment.
Branding The Competitive Edge in a Flattening World - To learn more about this author, visit Ed Delia's Website.
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With global connectivity a part of everyday life, and online collaboration taking hold, even the smallest company or individual can compete for business virtually anywhere in the world. And we will continue to see global competitors delivering high-quality, low-cost products to our front door, and we will see more services being sent offshore.
In his article titled “Globalization and the Death of the Mid-sized Company,” Leamon A. Crooms III cites the “Cold Hard Facts”:
Cold Hard Fact #1 - Global competitors play by different rules set in their own geographical regions. So not only do many of them have lower labor costs, but they also have fewer government controls, giving them an additional cost advantage.
Cold Hard Fact #2 – In the future you will have less time to react to your competitors. Geographic distribution makes it harder to keep your eye on the global competitor. If they are test marketing a new product, then you may never know until it shows up in your back yard.
Cold Hard Fact #3 – They know more about you than you know about them. Generally, American mid- size businesses are far less familiar with international markets and cultures than international mid-size companies are with the US.
Cold Hard Fact #4 – Global competition will turn up the heat domestically. As domestic companies in the mid-market adapt to global competitors the domestic companies will become increasingly more competitive in their local markets.
So what do you do to protect your turf, to keep your product line from becoming commoditized.
My experience has been that companies simply have to change their value propositions. They have to redefine what they stand for and how they deliver unique value. In short, they have to reinvent their brands. Even single practitioners stand to win big or lose big, depending on whether they embrace or turn their backs on the “flattening” of our world. By thinking globally about your business and about your brand you can do more than survive globalization. You can thrive in it.
Here’s what’s been working for our clients.
Stand for one thing.
Stand for one thing, make it unique, make it simple, and you make it easier not only for regional prospects to find you, but global ones as well. If you’re struggling to define your unique value on a regional, national or industry-specific basis, how can you possibly do so globally?
Shift from order-taker to solutions provider.
Small and mid-sized companies can no longer sit back and expect the phone to ring with the next order. Build your brand around solutions, taking a proactive stance. Don’t wait for the market to drive you. Effectively competing on the global stage means you drive the market.
Expand your view to one that is global.
When you embrace globalization, you quickly realize that it’s less of a threat and more of an opportunity. Think of your business brand not in terms of what the region or industry might think of you, but what you want the WORLD to think of you. Start looking at overseas competition. See what they’re doing from a marketing standpoint. Learn and watch them, because they are certainly watching you.
Competition is competition.
It doesn’t matter if it’s down the street or on another continent. Size up your overseas competition in the same manner you would size up your domestic competition. Remember, don’t just look at what they’re doing wrong. Look at what they’re doing right. Only then can you put your brand in a position to best them.
Remember, with challenge and adversity comes opportunity. Embrace globalization instead of hiding or dismissing it, and you may do more than flourish. You may take a leadership position in this new competitive environment.
Branding The Competitive Edge in a Flattening World - To learn more about this author, visit Ed Delia's Website.
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Kim CastleWith nearly two decades in the advertising and design business, with clients like Domino's Pizza, General Motors, Direct TV, Pedigree, Wolfgang Puck, Higher Octave Music, Hollywood Celebrity Products, Disney, and Paramount, as well as thousands of entrepreneurs around the world define, structure, communicate, and position their business for greater profits, BrandU(R) co-creators Kim Castle and W. Vito Montone discovered that entrepreneurs could experience the same power that big brands command for a fraction of the cost with the world's only process-based results-drive Integral approach to business creation. BrandU(R) is helping entrepreneurs grow with the power of extreme clarity from idea...to brand...to market(TM) and helping one million entrepreneurs become successful and whole so that they can make a difference in the world. Are you one of them? If you want to experience clarity all the way to the bank(TM), get started now at http://www.brandu.com. - Visit Kim Castle's Website |
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John AlexanderJohn has taught keyword research and SEO skills to small groups of business owners and Webmasters from over 80 different countries world wide since 2002. John is also the Director of Search Engine Academy ; Co-director of Training at Search Engine Workshops offering live, SEO Workshops with his partner SEO educator Robin Nobles, author of the very first comprehensive online search engine marketing courses at SEO Training Online and the SEO Workshop Resource Center. I look forward to hearing from you! - Visit John Alexander's Website |
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Dave KurlanDave Kurlan is the founder and CEO of Objective Management Group, Inc., the industry leader in sales assessments and sales force evaluations, and the CEO of David Kurlan & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in sales force development. Dave has been a top rated speaker at Inc. Magazine's Conference on Growing the Company, the Sales & Marketing Management Conference and the Gazelles Sales & Marketing Summit. He has been featured on radio and TV, including World Business Review with General Norman Schwarzkopf, in Inc. Magazine, Selling Power Magazine, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine and Incentive Magazine. He is the author of Mindless Selling and Baseline Selling – How to Become a Sales Superstar by Using What You Already Know about the Game of Baseball. He created and wrote STAR, a proprietary recruiting process for hiring great salespeople, and he writes Understanding the Sales Force, a popular business Blog and is a contributing author to The Death of 20th Century Selling and 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Volume 2. - Visit Dave Kurlan's Website |
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