If you are focused on “best practices,” you are focused on the wrong thing.

By definition, aren’t best practices methods common across market leaders? So, if everything goes perfectly, you would just pull even.

Instead, your focus should be on differentiation. That is how you gain an advantage and maybe even carve out a little monopoly until others take on your new method as a “best practice.”

If you are not willing to take the risk, then take a “best practice + 1” strategy. Try to improve upon one aspect of the best practice in an attempt to gain an incremental advantage.