The true nature of marketing is not to serve the customer. It's to outwit the competition.

Your first decision to make. Forget about your product or service and its benefits. The first decision you should make is what kind of warfare are you fighting. In short, marketing is war where the competition is the enemy and the customer is the ground to be won. There are four types of marketing warfare.

Principles of defensive marketing warfare.
1. Only the market leader should consider playing defense.
2. The best defensive strategy is the courage to attack yourself.
3. Strong competitive moves should always be blocked.

Principles of offensive marketing warfare.
1. The main consideration is the strength of the leader's position.
2. Find a weakness in the leader's strength and attack at that point.
3. Launch the attack on as narrow a front as possible.

Principles of flanking marketing warfare.
1. A good flanking move must be made into an uncontested area.
2. Tactical surprise ought to be an important element of the plan.
3. The pursuit is as critical as the attack itself.

Principles of guerrilla marketing warfare.
1. Find a segment of the market small enough to defend.
2. No matter how successful you become, never act like the leader.
3. Be prepared to bugout at a moment's notice.