Photo credit: thekennelclub
Phrases like “best of breed” are very popular in business these days. I received a phone call from a very nice person who asked me today if our CMS solution was a “best of breed” solution. I asked her to explain.
It turns out what she really wanted to know was if I thought it was any good.
Originally, the term “best of breed” came from dog shows and was used to denote the best specimen of a particular breed. The term was adopted for business and used commonly when referring to enterprise wide software procurement, which involves a modular approach to choosing the best solutions for each department regardless of the vendor.
Now, it appears in marketing as a way to validate a solution or to relate competency.
So how do you know if you are “best of breed” and what does that actually mean? “Best of breed” implies that your company or your solution is consistent in features with the very best. As it turns out, you do not actually have to be close to the best to be best of breed.
Does It Really Matter?
If I responded the person who called me and said, “Heck yeah, we are best of breed!” would that have influenced her choice?
When was the last time you chose a vendor because they said they were best of breed?
“Hi,Tom. I just wanted to let you know that we didn’t go with your proposal because the other guy said he was best of breed and industry leading and you only said you where world class and next generation… Sorry, but thanks for your time” – Jimbo
People rarely make decisions based on what you tell them or how you position yourself. People make decisions based on what they learn from you about how you can help them solve a problem, meet a need or attain a goal.
Ditch the marketing speak and talk about the reality your customers have faced, the way you have helped them and how you have helped them. Now you are addressing the questions they really want to know.