There are really only two things that happen…those that are in our control and those that are out of our control.
Competition is not in our control…they aren’t going to listen to you. We can complain and fret and whine and even scream, but they aren’t going to listen. And no matter what we wish they would do, they still won’t listen and will always do what they want without our input. They are just going to do what they are going to do. We don’t have any control when it comes to competition.
However…we do have complete control over what we do. We always have control over our own actions and how we choose to act. As I see it, we really have 3 choices when it comes to the competition…
- We can try to copy the competition in what they are doing
- We can try to improve upon what the competition is doing
- We can create an entirely new model that changes the game and doesn’t worry about what the competition is doing
I believe every organization should focus more on #3 and ignore #1 and #2…create an entirely new model that changes the game. This is the only way I have every found to make the competition irrelevant because we aren’t trying to beat or improve on them…we are just different from them.
Now this is where you might be saying…
“But wait, we are in the same industry selling the same or similar products and delivering the same or similar services so we can’t really be different from them because we are like them.”
I disagree. I would encourage you to think beyond the product and services you provide. Unless you are a monopoly and are the only one with a particular offering, there is always competition…others offering pretty much the same products/services. It may have a different price or terms or packaging but it is pretty much the same thing in the eyes of the customer.
But the one thing that is absolutely, positively in our control is about the “Customer Experience” we can deliver. This is completely in your control. You have the choice to give an awesome experience, a great experience, or a mediocre experience…you get to choose. Ask yourself this key question…
“What would my customer do if they had a choice of 3 companies to buy from…all offering pretty much the same product/service? How would they choose who to buy from? Would we have an edge if we offered them an unparalleled experience compared to our competition…an experience that blew them away and caused them to say WOW, we love the way your company treats us?”
They would almost certainly pick you…we all would…every time. So rather than investing time and energy in worrying about what your competition is doing and how you can “one-up” them, why not invest the time back into your customer and create something so remarkable that they would never want to go anywhere else…and would choose you because of the awesome experience they always received.
If you did this, why would you ever worry about what the competition was doing…they would all be watching you instead of you watching them. And here’s an added bonus…if you actually treat them this way so they feel beyond special, they might want to tell others about you…now wouldn’t that be a better use of time, money, and resources than constantly monitoring and worrying about the competition?
