Despite the global crisis, some companies are still growing and even overtaking their competitors. Their model for success is revealed by our study, which we conducted together with our partners in the international network Allied Consultants Europe (ACE). Based on responses from 600 managers across Europe, the "Growing against the Market" study makes clear what successful companies do differently, not just to survive the global crisis but to defy the general trend and increase their sales and profits.

One important finding is that top performers - the 7% of companies that clearly outperformed their competitors - differ from the weaker performers in their strategy development and implementation as well as marketing and sales. A critical point is that there is not one single lever that makes a company a top performer. Rather, the key to success is the will and the ability to tenaciously implement a consistent, coordinated bundle of actions and not get lost in specific activities, despite unavoidable setbacks and permanent market pressure. And the top performers courageously take advantage of opportunities to go on the offensive.

Top performers also pursue a comprehensive approach in developing their various distribution channels. In contrast to weaker companies, they make sure they have a balanced mix of key account management, a sales force providing personal service to customers, and transaction channels, such as the Internet, call centers or self-service. Moreover, the top performers manage to win new customers while holding on to their existing ones, which clearly differentiates them from the weaker companies.

Diagram 1: Top performers have a balanced and comprehensive bundle of sales channels.