Know-How Exchange : Strategy

A few questions:

1) What does your product do that others don't - your answer can include the "how you do it" as well. I am looking for something that makes your services special.
2) Why do people choose your company and not someone else? (Which is Q1 from the other side!)
3) What do you not do (others can do this). There will be something you're not good at, and if you can be honest about this, it's a real plus point*.

My guess is that even with competition increasing, they are fighting over the same small piece of real estate. There are ways to get around this - they need a lot of imagination and no small amount of insight into what you do specifically. You could approach this from the point of view of a USP - which along with a guarantee will put you ahead and apart from the crowd. (Google Rosser Reeves Reality In Advertising, 1961).

Is there some way you can keep your software to yourself - for example your clients use the interface through the web without getting their greedy paws on the software itself? They could have their own API** key that allows them access. If they move on, they lose the key and don't have access to the system.

Zim. is well up in Mobile telephony infrastructure and so a web-based system for lorries working through the medium of smartphones*** is possible. You would have to let us know the finer points of this as I remember fuel oil being decanted from the locomotive on our way to Lusaka. It could be that a system like this wouldn't work because the phone is worth more than the driver's pay. Again, this is your call, you're the guy in the hot seat.

Does this help any? I hope it does! Moriarty

*Everybody says they're honest. They probably believe it too. In a world where every poacher, thief and banker says they're honest - who are you to believe? - - - Only, who is it that is BEING honest? None of them? All of them? Actually it's you because you have told your potential customer something about yourself that is bad about yourself. Who else would make themselves look bad - but someone who is **totally honest** about themselves?

** Is this the correct term??

***or other SIM card based transceivers.

Are you selling a service or a product? If you're selling services, then you need to either provide more value (that your prospects truly need & are willing to pay for) or find segments of the population that aren't going to suddenly be your competitor. If you're selling product, then you've got a distinct advantage over those selling services - since many people can sell services, few can offer product (unless you're simply selling others' products). For your product, offer features that are truly valued - perhaps different features for different resellers.