Grow or steal? That's one of the fundamental questions that marketers ask themselves when they look at how best to expand their businesses. Do I grow a market, and generate more sales and revenue through that strategy -- even though my share-of-market may remain the same or actually go down? Or do I focus my efforts on stealing share from my competitors? While there is no single answer, here are some different scenarios -- and questions to ask yourself -- that should help you arrive at the right strategy for your particular situation.

How mature is your market? If you're competing in a mature category -- one with a high level of penetration and with single-digit growth, then it doesn't make much sense for you to invest in expanding a category that has little runway ahead of it. For example, if you are a mass retailer, you're facing a situation where is a natural cap on the category. You're not going to convince people to buy more if the category is at saturation point, so chances are you'll have to grow by taking business from the guy around the corner. (In the consumer technology business, there are no such limits.)

Page: [1] 2 3 4 | Next Page