Theory of Constraints Mafia Offer
Create a market offer so good, your customers can’t refuse it and your competition can’t or won’t offer the same – that’s a “mafia offer”!”
— “Dr. Lisa” Lang
Dear Business Owners and Sales & Marketing Executives:
A “mafia offer” sounds like something out of a movie, not something that could actually allow you to increase and control your sales.
In the following pages, I’ll spell out the details … disclose the conditions … present credentials … and then invite you to attend one of the upcoming Mafia Offer Boot Camps.
If you have attended one of my speeches you have probably heard at least one example of a mafia offer. You know that the mafia offer that was developed was for a regular company. This company had no particular competitive advantage – no patent, no unique technology, the same equipment as competitors, and similar employees. And yet, it was a not based on a price reduction, not easy for the competition to follow, and so good that most customers would accept it readily.
It turns out that mafia offers are possible for the majority of companies. The reason that most companies don’t know that they have one or know what it is, is because they just don’t know how to develop them. If you read Dr Goldratt’s book It’s Not Luck or one of the other Theory of Constraints (TOC) books, you read about how we use cause and effect logic (also called Theory of Constraints Thinking Processes) about your customers, your industry, and about your company to create the offer. You also know that it’s not easy to do.
During my years in the consulting business I have asked many owners one question – if I am one of your best prospects, what would you say to convince me to do business with you? Here is a list of the typical answers:
(write down your answers before you continue)
Don’t your competitors say the exact same thing? All good companies have these qualities or they wouldn’t be in business for long. I call this the blah, blah, blah answer because that’s what it sounds like to your customers and prospects.
A mafia offer is NOT a list of strengths, a cliché, subjective, or offered by the competition. In addition, it is sold differently. When you have a mafia offer, you are making a business proposal. Everything changes.
The promise: improve your offer to the market – create your mafia offer!
Can it be done?
All I can do is present our credentials and methodology and let you be the judge of that. This is the purpose of the balance of this letter.
The methodology?
The three days are broken down as follow:
Day 1: Create YOUR Mafia Offer
Day 2: Verbalize and Create the Collateral for YOUR Mafia Offer. This includes some of the more traditional techniques –- the competitive advantage, the touchstone, and the delivery of the irresistible offer.
Day 3: Create an Action Plan for Implementing YOUR Mafia Offer
Each day will involve an explanation of what we are going to work on, work instructions, and then facilitated group work.
Each person will have an extensive workbook to capture your group’s mafia offer.
These will be long days involving homework.
Walking away with anything other than a profoundly different perspective on your business after the 3 days will be very difficult.
So, the next question is, is it at least conceivable that I can make good on my audacious promise? To judge, you need to know something of my background and that of Brad Stillahn, co-facilitator.
Who are “Dr Lisa” Lang and Brad Stillahn?
“Dr Lisa” is an international speaker, author of 2 books, and the President of Science of Business, a Theory of Constraints consulting company. She is recognized as one of the few TOC Experts worldwide by Dr. Goldratt, developer of the Theory of Constraints and author of the best selling business novel The Goal and is only one of two preferred providers in Sales and Marketing. In addition, she has served as Dr Goldratt’s Global Marketing Director.
Brad Stillahn, also a certified TOC expert, is the owner of Adstick Custom Labels. Since, he has nicely offloaded the running of Adstick after a successful TOC implement