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Agricultural Marketing Resource Center

Competition

Identifying, understanding, and analyzing your competition are important for strategy development and the long-term viability of your value-added business.  This can lead to identifying ways of positioning yourself in the marketplace to effectively compete.

If you are just starting a value-added business, you might want to Conduct a Competitive Analysis to see if there is room for your business.  For value-added businesses involved in retailing, you may be Competing with Chains.

For more information on this topic, see the links listed below of articles posted on related Web sites.

  • Tips for Benchmarking Against Your Peers – HBS School Working Knowledge – How does your company stack up against the competition? You better know the answer to that question on a number of fronts.
  • Tips for Benchmarking Against Your Peers – HBS Working Knowledge – How does your company stack up against the competition? You better know the answer to that question on a number of fronts.
  • Understanding Your Competition – Bplans.com -- Do you know who competes with you for your customers’ time and money?
  • Porter’s Five Forces – Bplans.com -- Understanding the dynamics of competitors within an industry is critical for several reasons. Find out what they are.
  • Your Competitors – CCH Business Owners Toolkit -- The information age has increased the need for businesses to be thoroughly familiar with their competitors.
  • Competitive Analysis – Small Business Administration -- Business takes place in a highly competitive, volatile environment, so it is important to understand the competition.
  • Competitor and Issues Analysis – Small Business Administration -- The purpose of the Competitor and Issues Analysis section of your marketing plan is to explain in detail the external challenges and opportunities your business may face.
  • What Your Competition is Telling You – HBS Working Knowledge -- Your competitors, closely analyzed, can help you influence your own customers and help grow the market for your products and services. Here’s how.
  • Understanding Your Competition – Mplans.com -- Do you know who competes with you for your customers’ time and money?
  • Competitive Analysis – Mplans.com -- The competitive analysis process presents an opportunity to describe your major competitors in terms of the factors that most influence revenues.
 

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