Part 2 of my working with SPAWAR series
But thats my work..
If I had a dollar for every time I have heard this phrase over the past 14 years I would be retired on a tropical island. While incumbency is a huge advantage in competition it is also a dangerous pitfall. Too often we get so enamored with our success and relationships, we begin to believe that our teams are the only teams capable of providing value. An early mentor once told me; stick your hand in a bucket of water, when you pull it our, see what kind of hole it leaves. This adage is not meant to diminish the value of one’s current contributions, it is simply a reminder that, like water, projects have a way of filling the space. The lesson is quite simple, incumbents lose because of a false sense of being irreplaceable.
How to avoid it (incumbentitise)
You are not a special snowflake There are easily 5 companies within arms reach that can provide the same service you do. If all you are doing is filling seats and working to the PWS you my friend are easily replaceable. Whom ever beats you will simply hire the same butts to sit in the same seats. As a company you need to go further, invest your own dollars to create innovations that are truly unique in a service industry.
No one cares that it’s your work There is no real honor in service contracting. Companies will not abstain from competition simply because it’s «your work». If you are worried about a competitor that has similar experience, invite them to the team. 50% of 100 is much more than 0% of 100. If you have to «give away» half your work to ensure you don’t have a competitor with similar experience, do it. Otherwise that competitor isn’t coming for half, they are coming for the whole thing.
Create real discriminators Don’t just convince the customer to buy some esoteric tool that only you have experience and certifications using. Spend some money and time finding real jumps forward on process improvement or development practices. Focusing on changing the game from the original PWS scope for the better. This will keep you ahead of hungry outsiders.