This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
Where to Find This Answer
The answer to this question is sometimes more of a management process than anything else. Sagacious management will create a way to sustain the uniqueness. Yes, these things are not permanent and they have little to do with your product and a lot to do with you and your management team. A low score here can often be saved by clever tactics. Visibility of sustainability could be obscured in the early moments of a venture’s development because, frankly, they have to do with the ability of the management to make certain that the features and benefits remained unique. That means that they will be on the prowl for goodies and trinkets that can be added to your product that no one can duplicate. Management prevents invasion of your uniqueness by competitors by making certain that your product remains unique.
Sustainability can imply legal monopoly such as a patent or trademark or it can be based upon a unique location such as a lonely street corner in the midst of federal parkland. It can also involve an exclusive relationship with resource vendors or distributors who themselves offer one-of-a-kind products or services. Note that as time goes on, uniqueness may diminish as substitutes and look-alikes begin to invade your territory. Patents, while helpful, are not foolproof protectors in the withering crosshairs of a good patent lawyer.