Opportunity Strategy

SWOT Analysis

SWOT is an important part of a sales deal strategy. It analyses strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, for both your customer and you, the supplier. It is a useful way to assess your customer’s situation so you can provide value through your conversations, and to assess your competitive position.

A strength or weakness is internal and current; an opportunity or threat is external and future-facing. Work through each quadrant honestly — the value of a SWOT lies in the weaknesses and threats you would rather not admit.

Strengths

Internal advantages you hold in this opportunity: relationships, capability, track record, differentiated value.

Weaknesses

Internal gaps: where a competitor is stronger, where you lack access, proof or fit.

Opportunities

External openings: unmet needs, trigger events, shifts in the customer’s market you can help them address.

Threats

External risks: competitor moves, budget or timing risk, changes that could derail the deal.

Run the analysis twice — once on your own position, once on each key competitor’s — to see the opportunity as the customer sees it, and to plan how you will lead with your Discover and Disrupt strategy.

SWOT analysis, helpful and harmful, internal and external

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