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MRC Training And Course ScheduleIf you are interested in a Competitive Self-Assessment, take a few minutes to rate your performance based on the questions below or:
Download and complete the Competitive Self-Assessment.

How adaptive is your company? For each question, circle the description that best applies to you and your company.

_____ I. Do you work to identify new market opportunities, even when times are good?

  1. Yes, even when times are good.
  2. Only when sales are down.
  3. We never talk about new markets.

_____ II. Are you aggressively developing new product/service offerings, or building new manufacturing capabilities?

  1. Recently introduced a new product or capability, and have plans covering the next several years.
  2. We are working on a new product, but it has been awhile since we had something really new.
  3. Our product has not changed much in several years, and we don't have concrete new product plans going forward.

_____ III. Does the CEO spend a significant part of his/her time looking forward/planning for the future, rather than fighting fires/managing day-to-day operations?

  1. CEO spends a significant block of time every week looking forward/planning for the future.
  2. CEO spends a day here, a day there looking forward/planning for the future.
  3. CEO spends very little planning-caught up in fighting fires or operational issues.

_____ IV. Do you evaluate whether current customers will be around in a year or two? Will they shift your business to overseas suppliers?

  1. Yes, we review key accounts and gather intelligence on their businesses so we can identify risks.
  2. We have close relationships with current customers, but we don't gather intelligence on our customers' businesses.
  3. There is nothing we can do to anticipate or predict whether customers will be around in a year or two.

_____ V. Are you aggressively selling & marketing (going after new business), or are you waiting for the phone to ring?

  1. Aggressive in going after business
  2. There is only so much we can do.
  3. We basically rely on current customers.

_____ VI. When is the last time you took a significant risk, to invest in a future opportunity ahead of your competitors, or to enter a new market?

  1. Do it regularly.
  2. One or two years ago.
  3. We haven't taken a risk like that in years.

_____ VII. How often do you have conversations with customers, salespeople, distributors, vendors, etc., that help you keep your finger on the pulse of the market (i.e. identify risks, emerging needs, trends, and new applications)?

  1. Every week.
  2. Once or twice a month.
  3. Once every few months.

_____ VIII. Do you know why customers buy from you and not your competitors?

  1. Yes, we understand our competitive
    advantage (and disadvantages).
  2. We have some sense.
  3. We have no idea (If you are thinking: “ We just do a better job than our competitor” and cannot be more specific, your answer is 3.)

Total: Scoring - Add up total points for all responses. If total score is 8 - 12, you are highly adaptive. If total score is 13 - 19, you are somewhat adaptive. If total score is 20 - 24, you are non-adaptive.