Our competitors are launching low-cost, AI-driven self-service platforms that threaten our high-touch consulting model. How do we use the V/TO to decide whether to protect our premium positioning or launch our own automated alternative?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

You must take this issue to your next leadership team meeting and run it through the V/TO, specifically focusing on your Core Focus and your Target Market. Trying to play in both markets simultaneously is a recipe for operational chaos. It fractures your sales team, dilutes your brand, and confuses your core processes. Start by evaluating your Core Focus, which consists of your purpose, cause, or passion, and your niche. If your niche is delivering high-touch, customized transformation, then launching a low-cost automated platform violates your Core Focus. Instead of building a cheap alternative that commoditizes your brand, you should double down on your premium positioning. Use AI internally to make your premium consultants ten times more effective, allowing them to provide deeper insights and better service than any automated platform ever could. If you decide that the market shift is permanent and your target market actually wants a self-service tool, you must make a conscious strategic pivot. This means updating your V/TO, redefining your target market, and restructuring your Accountability Chart. Do not try to run both models under the same organizational structure. If you want to capture the low-cost market, spin it out as a separate business unit with its own dedicated seats, scorecard, and resources so it does not cannibalize or distract from your core premium offering.