Sales Warrior Lesson 51
Access to Resources
This quote raises the fundamental question in adapting Sun
Tzu's approach to winning sales. Who is the enemy? What does it mean to "feed of
the enemy?"
While the focus of Sun Tzu's work is not beating the
enemy, the enemy provides a required reference point. The core of this system is
comparing positions. Your enemies provide the point of comparison that allows
you to define your position. As a point of reference, your position is
defined both by the position of your competitors and the position of the buyer.
The perspective of the buyer is critical for understanding
the position of your competitors. For a salesperson, the enemy is the other
alternatives, the options from which the buyer can choose instead of your
product. Those options include the offerings of your direct competitors, but
they also include the alternative of "no decision" on the part of the buyer. In
other words, one enemy is the buyer alternative of choosing to maintain his or
her current situation.
