Sun Tzu The Art of Marketing Chapter 3
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III. APPROACH BY STRATAGEM |
III. APPROACH BY STRATAGEM | |
| 1. Sun Tzu said: In the practical art of marketing, the best thing of all is to take the competitors market whole and intact; to do negative marketing and create resentment is not so good. So, too, it is better to recapture a market entire than to destroy it, to capture a segment, a niche or a small percentage of share than to try and negatively sell.
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1. Sun Tzu said: In the practical art of war, the best thing of all is to take the enemy's country whole and intact; to shatter and destroy it is not so good. So, too, it is better to recapture an army entire than to destroy it, to capture a regiment, a detachment or a company entire than to destroy them. | |
| 2. Hence to fight and conquer in all your markets is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists in winning the consumers love through authenticity and thinking 'customer first'.
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2. Hence to fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting. | |
| 3. Thus the highest form of leadership is to balk the competitors plans; the next best is to prevent the junction of the competitors resources; the next in order is to attack the competitors market head on and the worst policy of all is to negatively campaign and price cut.
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3. Thus the highest form of generalship is to balk the enemy's plans; the next best is to prevent the junction of the enemy's forces; the next in order is to attack the enemy's army in the field; and the worst policy of all is to besiege walled cities. | |
| 4. The rule is, not to negatively campaign or price cut aggressively if it can possibly be avoided. | 4. The rule is, not to besiege walled cities if it can possibly be avoided. The preparation of mantlets, movable shelters, and various implements of war, will take up three whole months; and the piling up of mounds over against the walls will take three months more.
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| 5. The adgitator, unable to control his irritation, will launch his resources on the assault like swarming ants, with the result that one-third of his budget is wasted, while the town still remains untaken. Such are the disastrous effects of a mis times market assault.
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5. The general, unable to control his irritation, will launch his men to the assault like swarming ants, with the result that one-third of his men are slain, while the town still remains untaken. Such are the disastrous effects of a siege. | |
| 6. Therefore the skillful marketeer wins over the competitors market without any budget wastage; he wins their allegiance without 'spamming them' or doing loss leaders: he wins the market without lengthy operations.
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6. Therefore the skillful leader subdues the enemy's troops without any fighting; he captures their cities without laying siege to them; he overthrows their kingdom without lengthy operations in the field. | |
| 7. With his resources intact he will dispute the mastery of the marketplace, and thus, without wasting resource, his triumph will be complete. This is the method of marketing by stratagem.
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7. With his forces intact he will dispute the mastery of the Empire, and thus, without losing a man, his triumph will be complete. This is the method of attacking by stratagem. | |
| 8. It is the rule in marketing, if our resources are ten to the competitors one, to surround him; if five to one, to approach him; if twice as numerous, to divide our resources into two and go niches.
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8. It is the rule in war, if our forces are ten to the enemy's one, to surround him; if five to one, to attack him; if twice as numerous, to divide our army into two. | |
| 9. If equally matched, we can take them on; if slightly inferior in resource or offering , we can avoid the competitor's core marketplace; if quite unequal in every way, we can avoid attacking this segment.
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9. If equally matched, we can offer battle; if slightly inferior in numbers, we can avoid the enemy; if quite unequal in every way, we can flee from him. | |
| 10. Hence, though an obstinate fight may be made by a small campaign, in the end it must be captured by the larger operator.
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10. Hence, though an obstinate fight may be made by a small force, in the end it must be captured by the larger force. | |
| 11. Now the leader is the bulwark of the business; if the bulwark is complete at all points; the business will be strong; if the bulwark is defective, the business will be weak.
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11. Now the general is the bulwark of the State; if the bulwark is complete at all points; the State will be strong; if the bulwark is defective, the State will be weak. | |
| 12. There are three ways in which a chief executive can bring misfortune upon his business:--
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12. There are three ways in which a ruler can bring misfortune upon his army:-- | |
| 13. (1) By commanding the resources to advance or to retreat, being ignorant of the fact that it is not agile. This is called hobbling your resources.
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13. (1) By commanding the army to advance or to retreat, being ignorant of the fact that it cannot obey. This is called hobbling the army. | |
| 14. (2) By attempting to govern his resources in the same way as he administers a other functions of his business. This causes restlessness in the marketeers minds. |
14. (2) By attempting to govern an army in the same way as he administers a kingdom, being ignorant of the conditions which obtain in an army. This causes restlessness in the soldier's minds.
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| 15. (3) By employing executives without discrimination, through ignorance of the marketing function. This shakes the confidence of the team. | 15. (3) By employing the officers of his army without discrimination, through ignorance of the military principle of adaptation to circumstances. This shakes the confidence of the soldiers.
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| 16. But when the a marketing team is restless and distrustful, trouble is sure to come from the other competitors. This is simply bringing anarchy into the business, and flinging market share away.
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16. But when the army is restless and distrustful, trouble is sure to come from the other feudal princes. This is simply bringing anarchy into the army, and flinging victory away. | |
| 17. Thus we may know that there are five essentials for winning market share: (1) He will win who knows when to campaign and when not to campaign. (2) He will win who knows how to handle both superior and inferior competitors. (3) He will win whose team is animated by the same spirit throughout all its ranks. (4) He will win who, prepared himself, waits to take the competitor unprepared. (5) He will win who has market resource and is not interfered with by the unknowledgeable executives.
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17. Thus we may know that there are five essentials for victory: (1) He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight. (2) He will win who knows how to handle both superior and inferior forces. (3) He will win whose army is animated by the same spirit throughout all its ranks. (4) He will win who, prepared himself, waits to take the enemy unprepared. (5) He will win who has military capacity and is not interfered with by the sovereign. |
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| 18. Hence the saying: If you know the customer and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred campaigns. If you know yourself but not the customer, for every market share gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the customer nor yourself, you will succumb in every campaign. | 18. Hence the saying: If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle. | |
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