Weakness gives a chance to grow (fast)

Aktualisiert: 11. März 2020

My experience is that everyone likes to talk more about their strengths, but nobody about their weaknesses. It is obvious that companies/brands are successful because of their strengths and usually fail because of certain weaknesses. If you want big success and quick improvements, you have to find the weaknesses that might sabotage those strengths. Especially the company is the market leader, maybe the further work on the strengths is like pressing the accelerator pedal, but your weaknesses could be the pulled handbrake or some rusty brake lines, which will soon cause a big failure.

Think differently

One of my longest customer relationships explained with a briefing for the presentation of a new concept and the design of an image brochure. We received a nice briefing and had a conversation with the marketing CEO and the head of car after-sales. Everything sounds great and in the briefing it looks like there are no problems in communication or image.

So we tried two different solutions to win the presentation:

Firstly, developing a stunning design and catchy, easy-to-remember headlines and texts.

Second: to find some additional aspects that were missing in the briefing. This would increase the chance of winning the contract over our competitors/three other agencies.

We started with a market research, a correct positioning and design and an idea that fits the briefing. In parallel we conducted several interviews with members of the main target group, the associated car dealers. So we suspect that one important point is missing from the briefing: The relationship with the associated car dealers has become weak, for some reasons that we cannot talk about here.

We developed a second concept based on improving the relationship with the car dealers to their purchasing association, based on a new slogan „Wer mitmacht, gewinnt“ ("Whoever participates, wins") and some first ideas of an integrated communication concept, for example a launch event designed like a gambling hell in the 1920s.

Recognize and accept your weaknesses.

We were lucky, we won the presentation with the second concept. The CEO understands that he cannot turn a weakness into a strength if he is busy denying the existence of the weakness. So we received the follow-up order to develop the communication concept internally/externally and worked closely together for 14 years - 4 years as an external marketing department.

A few years later I was not as lucky as I was in this case. I created a concept that included a SWAT analysis for a market-leading company - the marketing manager took this as a criticism of his personal skills - we got the project, but he blocked any improvement and approval of measures to show that it was not possible - and he is not guilty. In the end I had to cancel the project, it was not possible to act fast enough. But the company lost its leading position and is still losing market share today.

The client: TECHNO Einkauf GmbH

TECHNO Einkauf GmbH is the world biggest purchasing association for independent car dealers groups with the brands Audi, Ford, Mercedes, OPEL, Toyota, VW.

In Germany 1600 sales points are connected to the TECHNO.

Communication concept internal/external

- positioning, claim

- image brochure

- events

- PR

- presentations

concept for increasing the aftersales turnover in car dealers

A turn-key solution to improve the aftersales:

Performance analysis of the individual dealer based on key indicators, specific implementation proposals, evaluation, rewarding and supply of sales promotion and POS material. Including Sales trainings up to establishing a new professional qualification: the car accessory salesman together with the ZDK (Central Association of the German Automotive Industry).

Updating the ebusiness structure

- CRM-System - TIBS online (Techno information and purchasing system) - Online shop system to integrate in the car dealers website