Victory in market warfare depends not on the number of basic troops you have, but on the number of special forces capable of fighting hard battles. Market strategy is about choosing a unique area or region where you can create an advantage to attack, while tactics are about differentiated moves that are absolutely different from your competitors. Flanking warfare is such a strategic and tactical breakthrough principle; if you use it well, you will be invincible.
What is Flanking Warfare? It is a rapid market breakthrough strategy that seizes and exploits opportunities, tears open a gap, builds an advantage, and then quickly leverages the entire market. Its key points are:
Avoid competition: — Find or segment into areas or spaces without competition, avoid direct confrontation with leaders, adopt differentiated attack tactics, and seize new high ground. Examples include Seed Wine's low-end strategy, Xinglin Tanzi Wine's strategy, Huanghe Long's "extra two liang" strategy, and Bandaojing's "extra bottle" strategy.
Tactical surprise: Unlike guerrilla warfare, flanking warfare uses tactical surprise (relying on a tactical path to quickly occupy a position, such as advertising, terminal interception, consumer interaction, etc.). A good flanking attack should not only be launched in an uncontested (differentiated) area but also quickly and with focused resources seize the high ground before competitors react, achieving rapid success.
Absolute focus: Product focus, price band focus, regional focus, personnel focus, resource focus, promotion focus, channel focus, model focus—every action you take in the market must be focused.
Press the advantage: Rely on the advantage gained, and must strike while the iron is hot, pressing the advantage to capture a larger market.
Six Forms of Flanking Warfare
Product flanking: When others use bottles, you use jars; when others sell one jin, you sell an extra two liang; when others sell one bottle, you sell an extra bottle; when others use 1x4 packaging, you use 1x2; when others use large bottles, you use small bottles, etc.
Price flanking: When others target the high-price market, you target the low-price market; when others use parity pricing, you use high price with high promotion.
Promotion flanking: For example, Gaolujia's ordinary home strategy, B/C restaurant breakthrough strategy; Laonijiao's "one more case" flanking; junk ad space; Rouya Cuizhu's township PR flanking; Xiaodao's curtain warfare; taxi ads, etc.
Channel flanking: Restaurant breakthrough, group buying breakthrough, small store breakthrough, community breakthrough, banquet breakthrough, etc.
Regional flanking: Seed Wine's low-end strategy, Huaguan's model street, Xiaodao's point-to-surface strategy, etc.
Key customer flanking: Don't cover the whole market; first focus only on core key customers, letting them lead sales and guide the market.
The Seven-Character Formula for Flanking Warfare: Segmentation, Focus, Extremeness, Speed.
Segmentation: Segment and carve out an area with clear competitive opportunity or advantage to launch an attack; segment infinitely until it is unique and absolutely advantageous.
Focus: Concentrate superior forces and resources to form an absolute advantage; do not disperse market or resources, or sit on the fence.
Extremeness: Within the competitive opportunity or relative living space, achieve an extreme level that competitors cannot surpass; (be the strongest at the attack point, such as in restaurants, promotions, sales, or areas), delivering precise and fierce strikes.
Speed: In flanking warfare, speed often determines fate; absolutely do not give the opponent a chance to counterattack. When the opponent counterattacks, you have already sealed off or become established.
Flanking Warfare is a Cone Strategy Flanking Warfare 4P = 1P + 3P. Remember, you must achieve extreme excellence in one element, while the other 3Ps are just basic supplements. Examples include Laocunzhang's promotions, Jinliufu's communication, Kouzi's "disc-in-disc" (restaurant channel) strategy, and Yanghe's PR and group buying.
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