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Curating Expertise as Competitive Advantage
Survival is a function of Curating Expertise.
To survive the Competitive Cliff, companies must learn to serve their own Buyers better today than they did yesterday.
Learning how to better serve their Buyer means learning of problems which prevent it and learning of solutions which enable it.
Solutions cannot simply be jammed into place; they must be vetted as Clearly Superior Alternatives first, according to the Learning Primacy Principle.
Choosing the best solution to any problem involves objectively comparing available options and deciding which is the Clearly Superior Alternative based upon new and existing knowledge and expertise. Choosing the Clearly Superior Alternative is, therefore, a function of Curating Expertise.
Curating Expertise is vital to survival.
Curating Expertise as Competitive Advantage means adopting curating expertise as a core business competency.
And that is how smart Buyers survive the Competitive Cliff.
Problem's problem
The Learning Primacy Principle illustrates the severity of the Problem's problem. The Problem's problem is that the Buyer does not yet know the best way to solve their problem; therefore the Buyer cannot move ahead with solving the problem.
Where does the Buyer look first? What information should they consider? Can the problem be solved internally, with existing resources? If so how? If not, what else is needed? And once the project of Curating Expertise is begun will it yield results? Will the best solution be found, or will it have been a lost effort?
Botheration
Botheration refers to the costs in time and other expenses to learn which is the best solution to the Problem, to identify the Clearly Superior Alternative. Botheration is always present in learning anything, especially anything significant, and especially in anything which today's Buyer is dealing with salespeople over. Botheration includes spending time in meetings, emails, phone conversations, demos, and proposals, learning why a solution is the best solution to the problem; and the risks and opportunity cost of spending time in this versus on other projects.
Botheration Barrier
The Botheration Barrier is when the Botheration is too expensive, or thought to be, and so the task of learning which is the best solution to the problem is delayed or abandoned. So a solution cannot be purchased, or implemented, and the Problem remains. Thus, the incentive to reduce or eliminate Botheration, especially for the complex problems in serving the Buyer better today than yesterday, leads successful businesses to adopt learning, and acquiring expertise as a core business competency. It's why the Buyer is always open to receiving solution expertise curated for their specific problem. Always.
Buyer as Subject Matter Expert
The Buyer as Subject Matter Expert refers to the amount of learning the Buyer needs to become a Subject Matter Expert in why a solution is the Clearly Superior Alternative for their specific problem. There is a lot of learning involved to solve big, complex problems. And today's Buyer will insist in being an expert in any solution they support as the Clearly Superior Alternative. The job of providing the Buyer the solution expertise curated for their specific problem is of course the Expert Seller's. And their ability to curate at all is dependent upon the Buyer liking the experience.
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