The New Power Base Selling: Master The Politics, Create Unexpected Value and Higher Margins, and Outsmart the Competition

Changing the Ground Rules

History is full of examples of how changing the ground rules enabled a seemingly weaker opponent to win a surprise outcome. Think about the American Revolution and what the superior British considered the rules to be. They expected to wage the conflict according to custom. Well-trained, immaculately uniformed troops from both sides would make a broad-daylight march in precise columns to an open field. It would be an orderly affair. After soldiers in one row fired, they would reload from a crouch to allow troops behind them a clear shot at the enemy. At the end, whichever side’s troops were still standing would be the winner.

It didn’t take George Washington and the Americans long to figure out that a battle of attrition made no sense. They were a small force taking on a world power. But what they did have was the ability to think unconventionally, as well as the will to win and compete—an offensive mind-set that existed in sharp contrast to that of the British, who unknowingly labored under a defensive mind-set that was steeped in tradition.

To succeed, Washington needed an asymmetric advantage—and the best way to achieve this was by changing the ground rules with an Indirect strategy. Instead of an open-field Direct approach, the Americans launched a guerrilla effort; they engaged in nighttime operations and ambushed the British with mobility and the element of surprise. Sabotage and snipers who specifically targeted British officers added insult to injury. ...