A TOTAL of three—that was the number of enrollees R. A. Gapuz Review Center (RAGRC) had back in 1994 when they opened, offering review classes for those taking government board exams. But this did not deter founder Ray Gapuz from persevering in his then newly established business.

Nowadays, their number of enrollees are in the thousands, so much so, that review and coaching sessions have to be scheduled in hotel ballrooms, mall cinemas and even big events places such as the Philippine International Convention Center and Araneta Coliseum. And get this—review classes are also beamed via satellite to other venues in the country. Of course, online review courses are also offered. Today RAGRC is the market leader among nursing review centers, getting the lion’s share of 40 percent of the market among 55 documented review centers, according to its website.

Just how did RAGRC succeed? Josiah Go, marketing guru and chairman of Mansmith and Fielders, Inc., points to market-driving strategies applied by the company.

“Market-driving strategies define how a firm will embrace innovative changes in the industry logic and business system to grow its profit and industry’s demand from marginal and non-customers,” says Go. To do this, innovations may be implemented in the value proposition (what the company may offer customers), the business system, or both.
Here are steps RAGRC took to succeed:

1. Give a new value proposition by:
- Offering an intensive 10-day review course at 8 hours a day aside from the traditional 6-month review course at 3 times a week. The shorter review course allows nursing graduates to find work while providing RAGRC faster turnaround.
- Holding review classes in hotels and malls instead of cramped classrooms.
- Presenting the curriculum according to diseases regardless of age to remove any duplication encountered when doing it by specialization. This is well appreciated by the reviewees.

2. Innovate the business system by:
- Going high tech and livening up review classes by holding it game show style and offering stimulating card games as reinforcement. This prevents boredom from setting in.

Market-driving strategies are all about changing the rules of the game in order to attract new demand. They may just be what your company needs to be profitable and stay profitable.

Josiah Go is conducting a seminar dubbed “Market-Driving Strategies: Executive Workout” on June 25-26 in Makati City and on July 14-15 in Cebu City. E-mail info@mansmith.net for details.