The strategic behavior of outstanding international growth companies sets the standard for successful value-creating growth management. As diverse as these growth leaders are as companies they all follow the same success principles. These can be condensed into eight milestones guiding the way to international market success in global competition:
- Clear business positioning as differentiated brand companies or cost-focused low-price providers, aiming at broad markets as generalists or niche markets as specialists.
- Defendable competitive differentiation through superiority in customer value and cost efficiency.
- Transformation of differentiation superiority into sustainable above-average growth and value creation.
- Authentic, high value based mission statement as the company’s bedrock of uniqueness and superiority.
- Continuous development of growth driven value creation strength through systematic exploration of growth potential in existing, adjacent, and new markets while increasing performance efficiency in strategy, cost and financials.
- Achieving a market position among the top three competitors with market shares of 20% – 40% as a generalist and 1% – 5% as a niche player.
- Preference for organic growth instruments over external growth levers.
- Focus on 6 key drivers for growth: Digital market transformation, internationalization, brand building, innovation, pricing, and sales.