The best time to take action to prolong or revamp your life is when you just hit the plateau phase . When that career path seems stagnant , when that relationship seems stale , when growth in that role or company stops , when your once valuable skills or job get challenged by new technology , it ’ s time to rebrand , re-energize , and revamp your life to avoid an early decline . are deployed to accelerate and support the growth . But sooner , competitors join , growth opportunities narrow down , and soon the incremental growth slows down and ultimately stops .
CROSSFIRE
How Products And People Make A Refreshing Change Ande Go Back To The Market
By Herman Githinji
Sometimes you find yourself in a state where your life is just happening . No growth , no excitement , no energy , no drive . You may have a job or an income and yet feel that no growth is happening . You may have been cruising at the same level for so long , and there is no oomph to change the gears . You may have taken time to decide on something and got stuck at that crossroads for so long . What ’ s happening is that you have reached the pinnacle of your growth in that certain area and have plateaued .
There is a natural cycle we all go through in life . At birth , we were introduced to this world . Then we grew physically , socially , mentally , and materially . Growth , however , doesn ’ t happen forever . As we reach the summit of our capabilities in a certain area , the growth slows down , and later , it plateaus . It ’ s in that phase most people say they have “ retired .” And after a long period of stagnation , we start a descent .
In many spheres of life , we go through such cycles . At my first job at East Africa
Breweries Limited ( EABL ), I was inducted or introduced as a Sales Representative . I grew , matured , and plateaued at the Regional Sales Manager level . I am not sure how long the plateau would have lasted before a sure decline because I left to start another cycle as the National Sales Manager at Unga Group . The EABL loop took eleven years .
During that time at EABL , as I was going through my career cycle , some products were on a similar journey too . Just like human beings , products go through the same four phases or stages of life - introduction , growth , maturity , and decline . At the introductory stage , research is done , customer needs are identified , and innovative products are introduced to the target consumers . The product is sensitively nurtured and cared for .
A product that successfully shows signs of blooming from the introduction stage is ushered into the growth phase . In the growth phase , the product demand grows in current and also in new markets . Resources
“
The best time to take action to prolong or revamp your life is when you just hit the plateau phase . When that career path seems stagnant , when that relationship seems stale , when growth in that role or company stops , when your once valuable skills or job get challenged by new technology , it ’ s time to rebrand , re-energize , and revamp your life to avoid an early decline . are deployed to accelerate and support the growth . But sooner , competitors join , growth opportunities narrow down , and soon the incremental growth slows down and ultimately stops .
The product now gets into a mature stage where the growth stagnates . At this stage , the product is well-known in the market , and many consumers will have bought or interacted with it . The share of the market is also well-settled . Growth at this stage can only come through fighting and grabbing new customers from competitors . Pricing , quality , and distribution become the key focus to maintain the attained market share .
As price becomes the key competitive advantage , products that cannot achieve economies of scale , low costs , or innovation are the first to step into the decline stage . At the same time , consumers have started to turn to new innovations and more convenient products . Naturally , from the maturity stage , the product enters the decline stage , and if nothing is done , it slowly slips into the HDU , is later admitted into the ICU , and finally dies .
The full life cycles may take longer or shorter periods depending on the general environment , the industry , innovation , or how quickly a product reaches maturity . As much as the cycle looks short , gloomy , and brutal , a product ' s life can be prolonged and managed to give brands new life , vibrancy , and new purpose . At EABL , then , some products like Pilsner and White Cap had plateaued and were just waiting to start their descent phase .
However , the company adopted an aggressive marketing strategy and employed experienced Marketing Managers to manage the key brands , Pilsner and White Cap being among them . The products were
10 MAL57 / 23 ISSUE