1. Mortensen Consulting Group. © 20111 Evaluating Strategies Dr. Mark H Mortensen

2. Moving from SWOT to Strategy 2 Evaluating Strategies Market Evaluation Good target market Take advantage of opportunities Capitalize on company’s strengths Work around company’s weaknesses Fix critical weaknesses that make particularly vulnerable to key threats

3. The “30 Second Question” Why should I buy something that does that …from you…now…at that price…when I already have this…and could, instead, get that in the future? 3 Evaluating Strategies

4. Competitive Advantage What is the competitive advantage of your product or offering over your competitors? Is this a short-lived advantage, or a potential long-term advantage? Where do you go next? 4 Evaluating Strategies

5. Strategic Alternatives Generate: –Map out several different possibilities that are mutually exclusive –Within those possibilities, look at variants that can co-exist Evaluate the possibilities and variants Decide on the direction 5 Evaluating Strategies

6. Evaluation Does it violate any ‘laws of gravity’? Do the financial numbers match the strategy? Will it create value? Is it large enough to be of material benefit to the company? Is it differentiated? Does it properly balance growth and risk? Why might we fail? Can it be copied easily? 6 Evaluating Strategies

7. Evaluation 7 Evaluating Strategies

8. Ten Tests 8 Evaluating Strategies

9. Evaluation 9 Evaluating Strategies