There are two types of companies in the business world: incumbents and insurgents. Find out why insurgent companies are on a mission to redefine their industry with a revenue-centric approach. Discover the five characteristics that insurgent companies share.
5. Insurgents are clever,
innovative, and highly
resourceful upstarts.
They commonly disrupt
established categories
with counter-intuitive
thinking that drives
accelerated growth.
6. I n c u m b e n t s i n v e s t s i g n i f i c a n t t i m e + r e s o u r c e s
h u d d l i n g i n m e e t i n g s … i n s u r g e n t s i n v e s t t h e i r
t i m e c h a s i n g r e v e n u e .
A S C E N S I O N S T R A T E G Y . C O M
7. S m a r t i n s u r g e n t c o m p a n i e s a r e r e v e n u e - c e n t r i c
a n d s m a r t i n t h e i r a p p r o a c h .
T h e y s h a r e F I V E o f t h e s a m e b a s i c c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s .
A S C E N S I O N S T R A T E G Y . C O M
8. I n s u r g e n t s A l w a y s K n o w t h e S c o r e
Most companies analyze performance at the end of a fiscal period.
This is often too late to affect outcomes.
1
9. Insurgents Understand Numbers Don’t Lie,
But They May Mislead
Numbers often lack context causing executives to lose sight of the bigger picture.
2
10. Insurgent companies are
contextual + view numbers
from perspectives not
often thought of by
competitors.
A S C E N S I O N S T R A T E G Y . C O M
11. Insurgents First Sell To The Base, Then
Market To The Potential
Insurgent companies understand that those with a strong preference for your brand are the
least likely to defect to competitors and the likely to continue buying your products/services.
3
12. A S C E N S I O N S T R A T E G Y . C O M
INSURGENTS UNDERSTAND THAT THOSE
WITH A SOFT BRAND PREFERENCE ARE
OFTEN VULNERABLE TO COMPETITIVE
OFFERINGS.
13. A S C E N S I O N S T R A T E G Y . C O M
The "neutrals" are the
equivalent of the political
independents. They are
the classic comparison
shoppers and switch
brands frequently.
14. I n s u r g e n t s U n d e r s t a n d T h a t P r i c i n g
i s a D y n a m i c D i s c i p l i n e
Pricing today is a dynamic + complex discipline. As a result, many companies and industries have
employed sophisticated pricing strategies to optimize revenue. It’s called yield management.
4
15. A S C E N S I O N S T R A T E G Y . C O M
INSURGENTS UNDERSTAND THAT PRICING MUST
NOT BE BASED ON COMPETITIVE OFFERINGS, BUT
RATHER MORE SOPHISTICATED AND BASED ON
DYNAMIC MARKET CONDITIONS.
16. I n s u r g e n t s U n d e r s t a n d t h a t P r o m o t i o n s
a r e a T a c t i c , N o t a S t r a t e g y
Promotions are discounted or incentivized offers available for a specific period of time.
Many companies, however, do not use promotions intelligently.
5
17. Promotion should be used
to generate incremental
business only in periods
of soft demand.
Promotions can result in
either the dilution or
displacement of revenue.
A S C E N S I O N S T R A T E G Y . C O M
18. it's the insurgent companies that
grab the headlines with innovative
go-to-market strategies and
impressive financial
performance.
I N T O D A Y ' S
W O R L D
A S C E N S I O N S T R A T E G Y . C O M
19. helps companies analyze their
competitive market positioning
and adopt insurgent
strategies + programs that drive
measurable revenue and market
share growth.
A S C E N S I O N
A S C E N S I O N S T R A T E G Y . C O M
20. T H A N K Y O U
For more information on how Ascension can help your company contact
Craig Apatov, Managing Partner at capatov@ascensionstrategy.com
or call 404-250-4547.
A S C E N S I O N S T R A T E G Y . C O M
A S C E N S I O N G R O W T H &
I N N O V A T I O N S T R A T E G I E S