警惕经营策略乏力的预警信号

    如果客户没有争先恐后地购买你的产品，那就意味着你得全面调整策略，而且刻不容缓。

    我和成长型公司合作时发现，表明策略欠妥的一个最大危险信号就是顾客没有热情，对它们销售的产品“不上瘾”。同时，销售业绩一直四平八稳，甚至不断下滑。

    毛利润率低是另一个危险的信号。如果客户不远接受你的定价，那你就得低价抛售，以便创造营业额，这就是说你的产品已经商品化。但你还不够专业，所以顾客无法区分你和其他公司的差别。因此谁出价最低，顾客就买谁的账。

    如果这些问题悄无声息地出现，那么现在就是解决它们的绝佳时机。你可能正在策划或举办年度策略会议。在成长型公司，营销策略通常和整体策略一脉相承，因此营销策略可能就是你应该重点关注的地方。苹果公司（Apple）营销委员会是史蒂夫•乔布斯唯一担任主席的机构。他每周三下午都会出席营销例会。

    查找策略漏洞时必须考虑如何处理好营销中的4P因素（Product、Place、Price和Promotion），即产品、地点、价格和促销。它们可以让你脱颖而出。你可能得通过侧重于和他人不同的环节来解决问题。以奈飞公司（Netflix）为例，它调整了价格，因此得罪了顾客，出现了客户流失。后来，它效仿HBO，更多地侧重于产品，同时提供更多原创性节目，这才摆脱了困境。

    但你还需要留意营销中的其他四个因素，也就是奥格威（Ogilvy）所称的4E因素（体验、无处不在、交流和无比的热情）。如今，在购物的时间和地点方面，顾客拥有更多的选择权。因此，每家公司都得采取能让自己与众不同的营销方式。顾客在购买和使用产品时的体验是一个至关重要的组成部分。每家成长型公司的首席执行官都应该去读读奥格威的这篇文章。

    用营销策略解决问题需要付出努力。不要指望在年度策略会议上就能找到答案。你和你的领导团队每周都需要关上门，开个早餐或午餐会来讨论这个问题，直到问题得到解决为止。策略并不是每年制定一次就可以高枕无忧的事情。

    我们如何判断策略是否奏效呢？很简单。顾客蜂拥而至，产品销售毫不费力。面对这样的顺利局面，最大的挑战将是跟上业务进度。随后，你会遇到一个新问题，那就是要极具针对性地执行策略。如果你希望获得可观的利润，这方面的工作也得妥善进行。（财富中文网）   

    Customers should be beating down your door to buy what you sell. If they're not, that's a sign that you need to overhaul your strategy -- right away.

    When I work with growth companies, one of the biggest warning signs of a weak strategy is that customers aren't raving fans, addicted to what they sell. Instead, their sales are flat or declining.

    Poor gross margins are another red flag. If customers aren't willing to pay your prices -- and you have to give your product away to generate top-line revenue -- that means your product has become commoditized. You're not specialized enough for customers to recognize what's different about you from everyone else, so they turn to whoever has the cheapest prices.

    If these situations have snuck up on you, now is the perfect time to tackle them. You're probably planning or holding your annual strategy session now. At growth companies, the company's marketing strategy is usually synonymous with its overall strategy, so that's where your focus should likely be. The marketing committee was the only one Steve Jobs chaired at Apple (AAPL). He showed up for its weekly meeting every Wednesday afternoon.

    When you look for holes in your strategy, consider how you're tackling the four Ps of marketing: Product, Place, Price, and Promotion. These are all areas where you can differentiate yourself. You may need to fix your problems by focusing on a different P. Look at Netflix (NFLX). It upset its customers by changing its pricing and began to lose them. It got out of that mess by focusing more on its product, by offering more original programming, following the HBO model.

    But you also need to look at the 4Es of marketing, as Ogilvy defines them (Experience, Everyplace, Exchange, Evangelism). These days, customers have more choices over when and where they buy things, so every company should look for ways to stand out. The experience a customer has in buying and using your product is a critical component. Ogilvy's article should be required reading for every growth company CEO.

    Fixing a problem with your marketing strategy takes commitment. Don't expect to solve it at your annual strategy session. You and your leadership team need to lock yourself in a room once a week for breakfast or lunch and talk about it until you get it right. Strategy isn't something you should expect to tackle once a year.

    How do you know if a new strategy is working? That's the easy part. Customers will start flocking, and sales will feel effortless. Your biggest problem will be keeping up with all of the new business that's flowing your way. Then you'll face a new problem: making sure the execution of your strategy is spot-on. If you want to have a strong bottom line, you've got to get that part right, too.