Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Want to Sell Something, Just Use the Words Best in Class

Recently, there has been an onslaught of press releases ranging from new executives being hired to companies achieving PMA milestones, to launching "new me too" products (isn't that an oxymoron), to surgeons promoting clinical results. None of this news has been truly earth shattering, nor is it going to create a major shift in spine care, nor, is this going to change some of the challenges that these early-growth stage companies face. What TSB finds interesting is the common buzz words that all these press releases contain, "best in class."

Many years ago, as more and more graduate school business executives started to infiltrate our industry, it seems the use of the description "best in class" became more the norm than the exception. It's almost like using the word "love" endlessly. It loses its meaning. So we thought that we would do a bit of investigative work to identify just what does it mean to be "best in class." When utilized does this mean that the product that someone is describing exhibits the highest current performance level in the industry? Maybe, but usually its your word against mine unless you have the revenue to prove it. What happens if there are only three or four products? Would that truly constitute using the word "best in class." Would four products even qualify as a class? What happens if someone is attempting to use these words to set a standard or benchmark, and that individual is not an authority? Would that be deception or marketing?

You have to love when someone hires a new VP of Sales, and that person is quoted as saying, "I look forward to working with the sales management team to build a best-in class sales organization as we grow our market penetration in minimally invasive surgery." Huh? Wasn't the sales team that you inherited best in class? Or, is the company calling a timeout and looking towards free agency to rebuild the organization? Is this the NBA? LeBron is available for the right price. Or, when launching a new product someone is quoted as saying, "the company's mission is only to provide best in class products." Does that mean that it hasn't been launching best in class products? Does anyone have anything interesting to say anymore? How canned can some of these comments be? Is there any creativity or artistry to our speech?

In closing, our research shows that the term "best-in-class" is given to the dog who has been judged the best specimen of its particular class at a confirmation show probably like the Westminster Dog Show. So TSB must ask the question, is it the dog, or is it best-in-class? We probably won't know until this years Spine Technology Awards ceremony in Orlando, until then keep doing your homework because you never know when someone will call you the best-in class.

12 comments:

  1. Slow news day? Sometimes its better to post nothing at all rather than some drivel like this.

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  2. Sometimes everyone needs a little mindless drivel. Even M&M has brain slippage.

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  3. Even the DOW has so-so days, what do you expect breaking news everyday?

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  4. you're slumping bro, and looks like your blog is loosing interest too. post numbers are low. I haven't seen anything of relevance in months. So... what are you trying to offer here??

    see ya in a few months maybe

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  5. no body says "best in class" but Ford or Chevy
    are you bored? useless crap!

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  6. Interstingly enough for someone who doesn't have access to my traffic numbers you know very little about the activity on my blog. Sometimes you have to write about banal topics bro. Contrary to your opinion, the blogsite continues to grow, unfortunately every post can't appease those that live in a tabloid mentality world

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  7. "BEST IN CLASS" was the lame phrase actually used in a recent press release from a NE based spine company. I thouht it funny then, and even more now. Also MM is correct..we can only see posts not all those who come to this site and do not post.

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  8. I hate "the haters." Get outside, pet a dog, kiss a baby, get some lovin', do something other than bitch about nothing. There is nothing worse than people responding with bitchy comments. Bitch bitch bitch bitch. Whatever losers. If M and M wants to write about how many shades of yellow are in the rainbow- so what? It's his blog. If you can do better, then write one.

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  9. I thought the blog was "cutting edge." No, maybe it was "earth shattering," or just "eye opening." I used to work with a company that was cutting edge until we got a new VP of marketing and we became "bleeding edge," seriously.
    I think TSB makes a point and it is frustrating from all angles if you think about it. How new is a screw, PEEK, titanium - and how can we do something with it that is going to make that surgeon say he is going to feed a new family? Some kind of coating, a new substance, maybe a "green" product due to how it is refined or sourced?
    It really is a question of what is it that we want - or expect - to get a new product or an improvement to market. Funny, cost doesn't enter the picture at this point.

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  10. Hey you wanna read some real interesting news go on Ortho Spine News now there's a real interesting site some of you people are pretty lame

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  11. To the poster named "Joe". Not sure how you come up with "haters" and "bitch" stuff when someone expresses their opinion. You sound like those who are upset that individuals actually express their dislike of Obamacare.

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