Conclusion
Musashi was one of the greatest samurai ever. He was the real deal—the complete package. Unlike other swordsmen, he took a holistic approach to competition that always incorporated unconventional thinking to leverage his skills, resources, and timing, while exploiting his opponent’s unexpected vulnerability. He was a master of the intangibles.
In today’s selling, this translates into the ability to apply unconventional thinking to provide customers with Unexpected Value while identifying and professionally exploiting unexpected competitor vulnerability.
It has been 400 years since Musashi stood on that island to fight Kojiro. And the mastery of competition still rests with the intangibles.
1For more information, read The Lone Samurai: The Life of Miyamoto Musashi, by William Scott Wilson (Tokyo: Kodansha International Ltd., 2004).
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