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Winning and Losing Inside the Box
There Aren't Any Shortcuts
In a tough market, it's tempting to look for shortcuts. Reality check: There aren't any shortcuts. The one business strategy that creates and sustains success is to be the best at what matters the most. What an audacious idea—outperform your competition on those things that create real value for your customer.
Deliver on Your Promise Every Time
One of the most popular concepts in business over the past 10 years has been the wow factor. It seems that everyone's focused on surprising the customer with something different. That's all well and good, but understand that the ultimate and most powerful wow factor is to deliver on your promise every time, with every customer, with amazing consistency.
They've Taken Their Eyes Off the Ball
For years, we've all talked about the need to think outside the box. I take that to mean that we need to be open to new ideas, new ways of doing things, innovation, and creative thinking. I'm for it. Count me in.
The trap that many have fallen into, however, is being so enamored of the idea of thinking outside the box that they've taken their eyes off the ball. They've started spending so much time outside the box that they're losing the battle where it's being fought, which is squarely inside the box.
If You Win on the Basics, You Win It All
Let me explain what I mean. You want to constantly innovate and improve for one purpose: to win inside the box. By “inside the box,” I mean those things ...
