Hardball strategies for trouncing the competition Devastate rivals profit sanctuaries This term refers to the act of majoring more in the area of a competitor’s business that serves as the main source of revenue (Stalk and Lachenauer 6). Each business has a profit haven that accounts for the largest percentage of its revenue. If a business enters a certain market segment dominated by its competitor and introduces a product or service similar to the competitor’s that is cheaper and of higher quality, then the business is said to devastate the rival’s profit sanctuary (Stalk and Lachenauer 6). The key to doing it successfully is conducting due diligence on the competitor’s performance in the targeted market segment. The most effective way of devastating a competitor’s profit sanctuary is by offering a product that sells at a lower price than that of the competitor (Stalk and Lachenauer 6). This strategy has several legal limitations and a business should operate within the limits of pricing laws. Plagiarize with pride Plagiarizing with pride means stealing or copying an idea, improving it, and making it the property of one’s business (Stalk and Lachenauer 7). It involves more than copying an idea because certain ideas are patented and therefore duplicating them is against the law. The idea is improved by incorporating additional concepts in order to make it a different version of the plagiarized idea (Stalk and Lachenauer 7). Many companies have used this strategy to dominate specific market segments. This strategy is successful because any idea can be implemented in a better way through improvement. Hardball players find ways of improving ideas after copying from other businesses. Another concept of plagiarizing with pride is stealing ideas from unrelated sectors and incorporating them into a business (Stalk and Lachenauer 7). This is an effective strategy for dealing with competitors. Unleash overwhelming force This is a hardball strategy that refers to the act of consolidating a company’s resources and directing them towards a single product or idea that the company intends to promote in the market (Stalk and Lachenauer 8). In many instances, overwhelming force is unleashed against a competitor’s profit sanctuary. The strategy works successfully if the company planning to use it has a cost advantage (Stalk and Lachenauer 8). A disadvantage of poor market research is that it may lead to the total destruction of the company because competitors might lower the prices of their product to resist being overtaken. The strategy must also be implemented with the law to avoid legal fights with competitors. Unleashing overwhelming force requires great strategic thinking and careful implementation that should be based on thorough market research regarding a competitor’s operations and profitability (Stalk and Lachenauer 9). Focus relentlessly on competitive advantage Focusing relentlessly on competitive advantage refers to a hardball strategy that involves taking advantage of a company’s strengths by using them to compensate for its weaknesses. An important aspect of using this strategy is knowledge of a business’s competitive advantage. Many hardball players take the aspect of competitive advantage to extremes by implementing str