At each stage of economic relations development, there are companies that are growing faster than market, equally with market or slower than market. Such different kind of growth leads to a variety of financial results for the owners, TOP-managers or CEO of the business. Level of owners’ and TOP-managers’ incomes (higher or lower), depends on business results and sometimes, if the result is negative, they bear losses or don’t get their bonuses and premiums.

Every company has plans at each stage of its development, or guided by the owners and managers intuitively. Analysis of business development shows that companies which have approved plans and response on deviations rapidly - working more effectively. As a rule, companies with a clear strategy of development, show the average growth of about 40% in relation to other market participants. So what is strategy and what are its advantages?

Business strategy is a plan that is based on the analysis of market environment, available resources (innovation, personnel and finance). The purpose of the strategic plan is to create the most favorable conditions for business, by proper definition of the activities and time for their implementation. The implementation of business strategy achieves the best business indicators by implementation a strategy of market share growth (reduction, conservation), that is controlling by the business.

Kenichi Ohmae, one of the gurus of modern strategic consulting, notes that there are many companies that have achieved outstanding results in business, thanking to an excellent strategy. Meanwhile, it seemed that significant resource constraints (people, technology and money), would not give any traction. The answer for this phenomenon lies in the fact that companies in its team had a Strategist. He was distinguished by an outstanding talent; usually it was the founder of the company or one of the TOP - managers.

Often, especially in Japan where there are no specialized business schools, these brilliant strategists don’t have formal education in the field of "Business Administration". Some of them have never attended any courses or read any books on strategic planning, but they intuitively understand the basic elements of the strategy: "... with a unique style of thinking, they can see the dynamic interaction of the company, customers and competitors, and from this vision the comprehensive set of goals and action plans are crystallized ... ". ¹ Examples, that confirm the idea about the role of Strategist in the company, are successful strategies of business owners that have already become legends: Steve Jobs (Apple), Soichiro Honda (Honda), and hired manager Jack Welch (General Electric Corp.)

What should company do if it doesn’t have an outstanding Strategist?
The answer is obvious - look for him outside the company. Typically, strategists of such level create their own businesses or have an equity interest in a company where they work.

Responding to the challenges of modern business, in the 60s of last century industry of consulting was born and rapidly evolving in the world. Consultants, with a good education, working experience and expertise in analyzing business problems and challenges, can help to make a qualitative analysis of the business, market and competitive environment in order to determine the best strategy, relying on decisions of owners and managers of companies that will finance and implement the approved strategy.

For example, there are  following approaches in pharmacy retail:

1. Approaches to formatting the pharmacy chains:

a) For the access to products: traditional - selling over the counter and modern - "open shelf";

b) For the matrix of commodity: traditional (old Soviet type of pharmacy), mini market, supermarket

c) Internet Pharmacies

2. Approaches to pricing strategy:

a) Dumping

b) The leader of costs

c) Premium pricing

What pharmacy network formatting strategy to choose? According to Igor Vovkodav, there are different strategies for formatting drugstore chains, but only a few companies in Ukraine were able to determine its strategy and implement it distinctly today. "It should be noticed that part of the successful pharmacy chains defined their strategies with the help of involved and independent consultants."

Definitely, the owners and managers will be able to solve such problem, but it will require a large detachment from the management of operational activity and greater losses of time from them.

Companies in developed markets and leaders of the domestic pharmaceutical industry, realizing that their strategies are not available, are increasingly attracting "western consultants," if there is financing for it, or local consultants, if there is not. Job of consultants gives an opportunity to assess the situation, challenges, risks, threats quickly and adequately, and to determine the most appropriate strategy from the available business variants.

It should not be expected  that the consultants will be able to solve all the problems for the business. This is joint work of consultants and managers of businesses. The main task of the consultant is to help businesses find out or refine the strategy in a competitive market. We all know that, as well as to doctors, to the consultants are turning, not when everything is fine, but when it is bad, when there are no own experts on strategy, and the budget constraints don’t allow to hire highly qualified. The managers task would be to implement worked out and approved strategy.

The aim of given article is to show market participants the importance of strategic planning and possible ways of strategic planning tasks implementation. Definitely, business owners and managers should decide how to organize work, to develop or refine their strategy, but now they have a better understanding of such projects implementation ways, by looking for the strategist inside or outside the company, or involve external consultants.

¹Kenichi Ohmae, Mind of the Strategist: The Art of Japanese business. Per. from English. - Moscow: Alpina Business Books, 2007. – 16 p.