• What do you stand for? Can you state it in one sentence? One word?
  
• Would we get the same answer from each of your employees? Clients?
  
• Why should a prospective client turn to you instead of someone else?
  
• What can you say about your capabilities that no one else can say?
  
• Do your proposals, marketing materials, web site, etc. have a unique voice?
  
• Do you have such a strong market position that clients actively seek you out, and you are able to name your price?
  
• Why should a talented recruit select your firm over another?
  
• Why would someone pay a premium for your stock?
  

Very few professional services firms today can answer these questions in a manner that clearly sets them apart from their competition. A large part of the problem is that companies are afraid to place their bets — focus on a specific well-defined market space and offer a specific set of solutions aimed at solving specific problems. But this is necessary if they are going to build a defensible market position with a footprint so unique that no competitor will be able to match it.

We have found that the best candidates for market dominance share certain characteristics:

Best Candidate Companies for Market Dominance

• Seeking high growth
  
• Intent on creating dominant market position
  
• Fighting increased competition and shrinking margins
  
• Provide services in rapidly-changing environments (industry, technical, business)
  
• Forward-thinking, progressive
  
• Results-oriented, action-oriented, have a sense of urgency
  
• Have smart people, a "team" culture, quality-orientation
  

Best Candidate Individuals for Leading a Company to Market Dominance

• Visionary leaders
  
• Accountable for strategic results
  
• Responsible for growing the business
  

  Increased revenues
  

  Increased profits
  

  Market penetration
  

  Identification and penetration of markets
  
  

• Focused on the Future
  

  Long-term vision
  

  Long-term positioning
  

  Getting from "where we are" to "where we want to be"
  
  

• Results-oriented, action-oriented, have a sense of urgency
  

What the Apollo Method™ Helps Firms Accomplish

Most firms don't achieve Go-To Source status, because 1) they aren't focused enough, 2) they don't aim high enough, and 3) they don't take a systematic approach to their strategy, marketing and delivery activities. The firm does not have a clear and specific vision of what it wants to mean in the market place, which in turn, leads to scattered strategy, marketing, and client activities.

On the other hand, Go-To Sources are very focused, aggressive and clear about who they are and, as a result, are in the enviable position of having clients seek them out, not the other way around. Go-To Sources decide who they will and won't work with, and often, they name their prices, because it is already clear to the prospective client that the value they deliver will far outweigh their cost. The Apollo Method for Market Dominanceª moves firms toward Go-To Source status by helping them:

• Clearly define the specific, unique market position they intend to establish.
  
• Rally the internal organization and the market around that vision.
  
• Focus their proactive efforts and investments.
  
• Eliminate low-value markets and select high-potential target(s).
  
• Build image and market recognition.
  
• Generate demand.
  
• Sell appropriate work to appropriate clients.
  
• Build high-value service offerings.
  
• Monitor the market and adjust to changes.
  
• Establish an OWIT Infrastructure ™ ("only what it takes").
  

Why We Named the Method "Apollo"

Market dominance is about winning your space race. That's why we chose NASA's Apollo Program as a model. It is a perfect example of moving from 'me-too' to 'go-to' status. When the Soviet Union repeatedly beat the U.S. in space exploration firsts, Kennedy staked out the unclaimed territory. Apollo became a methodical program that focused the resources and attention of the entire free world on one thing: Put a man on the moon and bring him home. And they did.

The parallels…

Apollo targeted unclaimed territory. The Soviets were leading the space race with numerous "firsts." Shocked when they sent the first human into space, President Kennedy shunned Me-Too status and asked his advisors to recommend a new domain: "Is there any other space program which promises dramatic results in which we could win?" Dataquest calls this "targeting the competitive white space."

Apollo had a specific, tangible goal with a specific, tangible deadline: Put a man on the moon within the decade. With a single statement, Kennedy took what had been a vague, unfocused "space exploration program" and turned it into a united effort focused on a specific outcome that everybody understood and rallied behind.

Even today, Apollo stands out, because it stood for something. The space program was no longer just about researching and generating activity in space. Throughout the 1960s, the word, "Apollo" meant "Man on the Moon."

For each mission, rockets launched and then continued to ignite as a space vehicle made its way toward its destination. It took a tremendous amount of careful preparation and energy to escape the gravitational pull of the Earth's atmosphere. Then, as the vehicle gained momentum, it took less energy to propel it forward.

Each mission was guided by a multi-talented team of pilots and navigators. While astronauts piloted the ship, Mission Control played an integral role in ensuring that the ship stayed on course and that all systems were 'go.' Each mission was a complex team effort.

Dominance was achieved, but the journey wasn't over. It was Apollo 11 that achieved the ultimate outcome by putting a man on the moon. This was a victory, but the race was still on. Subsequent Apollo missions were about sustaining that lead.

Apollo Method™ Summary and Sample Projects We've Conducted

Your Market Dominance Mission: Be so focused, uniquely/highly-skilled, and effective, that you become known as THE ONLY ONE TO GO TO in your chosen area of expertise. Clients actively seek you out, because it is clear that you can make a unique and highly-valued contribution. As a result, you are in a position to "name your price" and/or earn revenues on the basis of the value you provide.

A few important things to understand about what this is and is not: This is not the only possible approach for achieving market dominance. And if you'll pardon the pun, the Apollo Method is not rocket science. It is actually quite simple in concept. The challenges and the power lie in proper execution. But if something is hard to do, it is hard to duplicate. And in today's era of very low competitive barriers in the professional services arena, building a business that is hard to duplicate is your key to success.

This method is one approach many successful organizations have intuitively applied to their businesses to establish themselves as go-to sources. We have simply captured the process we and others have followed and written it down. We have also repeatedly lived the process, having applied it to a wide variety of client situations. As you review the more detailed information in the Apollo Method Summary Matrix™, bear in mind that the stages and strategies are not necessarily sequential; in fact, many occur concurrently. This is a framework composed of initiatives that must be tailored and scaled to each particular situation.

View Apollo Method Summary Matrix™

For more information on the Apollo Method for Market Dominance™ email us at apollo@linagroup.com, or call us at (415) 392-1800.

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