Competing to be unique

BEING THE BEST - Best Practice
Processes and Systems
OPERATIONAL
EXCELLENCE
 Maximising
resources
 Reducing wastage

 Optimising efficiency











Client response times
Student enrolment process
Resource Management
Teacher recruitment & CPD
Accommodation allocation
Data management
Timetabling, occupancy
CRM
Course design

NOW WHAT?
specialistlanguagecourses.com

Competitive Convergence


Competing for Value

Price is what you pay. Value
is what you get.


Beware the 5 Forces


The 5 Forces


Force 1 – Supplier Bargaining Power


Force 2 – Buyer Bargaining Power
Sales

Direct
Referrals
Agencies


Force 3 – Threat of Substitutes
• Elearning
• Mlearning

• Games-based learning
• App-based learning
• Video-based learning
• Peer-to-peer learning

• Virtual worlds learning
• Webex, skype, gotomeeting..
• MOOCs
• Better in-country language teaching
• Google Translate

KERRR–CHING!!!
$10m

€3.5m

$15m

$8.5m


Force 4 – Threat of New Entrants
LOW BARRIERS TO ENTRY
 Rooms
 IT systems
 Teachers
 Accommodation
 very few „sunk costs‟

HIGHER BARRIERS





Accreditation
Relationships with agents
Crowded key locations
Creating a USP


Force 5 - The Competition…


Introducing… Strategy
“Strategy can be viewed as building defenses against
the competitive forces or finding a position in the
industry where the forces are weakest.”
Michael Porter
“You don’t have a real strategy if it doesn’t pass these
two tests: that what you’re planning to do really matters
to your existing and potential customers; and second, it
differentiates you from your competition.”
Verne Harnish


Creating Unique Value – Your UVP
Your Unique Value Proposition:
What are you going to sell?

Who to?
Why are they going to buy from you?
What’s the U in your USP?

Creating Unique Value – Your UVC
Your Unique Value Chain
How are you going to realise the UVP?

How will you configure your resources most effectively?
How will bring external partners and suppliers on side?
and…

How will you stop others from copying you?


Strategic Choice 1: DIFFERENTIATION


Strategic Choice 2: FOCUS
“2 inches wide, 2 miles deep”
Just say No!


Strategic Choice 3: COST MANAGEMENT


Aligning the Company
Primary Inputs

Suppliers

Course
Delivery

Sales
Marketing

Buyers

Support structures
Human Resources
Procurement
Company Infrastructure
Technology

Communicating the Strategy


KISS!


To summarise
1. Operational excellence – yes. Operating in the same way as everyone else – no.

2. There is no point in size or growth if those are profitless.
3. Competitive advantage is about creating unique value for customers. If you have a
competitive advantage, it will show up on your P&L.
4. A distinctive value proposition is essential for strategy. But if it doesn‟t require a
specifically tailored value chain to deliver it, it will have no strategic relevance.
5. Don‟t feel you have to „delight‟ every possible customer out there. Say No
sometimes.
6. Focus, differentiate, lead on costs, align the organisation, execute brilliantly,
measure, improve and deepen what you do.


To continue the conversation..

e: chris@specialistlanguagecourses.com

t: +44 7788 294853
s: chris.moore.slc
w: www.specialistlanguagecourses.com


Competing to be unique

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

Similar to Competing to be unique

Similar to Competing to be unique (20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

Competing to be unique