This post is all about how to market your business, without ever having to worry about the threat of competition.
I decided to write this after receiving an email from a reader, Elizabeth, who asked me a great question. Elizabeth wanted to know why I promote the websites and blogs of fellow marketing professionals. She went on to say that this seemed, “an unusual way to treat the competition!”
Apparently, Elizabeth was specifically referring to the fact that I often link to other marketing sites and ReTweet interesting posts and articles from other marketing professionals.
In a way, I can understand what Elizabeth’s saying. It probably seems counter instinctive to most people, when they see me use my network to promote someone, who could be a direct competitor.
However, I see things in a different way!
Marketing and competition
When it comes to growing my business, I don’t operate from the mindset of having competitors. I operate from a creative mindset. I focus on making what I do so uniquely valuable, that there isn’t anyone else offering that set of unique skills to the small business marketplace. You know what? It works really well too! There are some great marketing people out there, but none that compete with me. They do their thing and I do mine. Operating from a creative mindset allows me to work without limitations. For example, I actually market the services of a number of great marketing and marketing-related businesses. Isn’t that brilliant?
I genuinely believe that if any business tries hard enough, it can make its services uniquely valuable enough to never have to ‘worry’ about the competition again. The challenge, is that most businesses, large and small, look just too similar to the other providers in their industry. As a direct result, they are constantly worried that prospective customers will see the ‘competition’ and then use them.
If they were uniquely valuable enough, they would never have to worry about that.
Marketing your business
Here’s my suggestion for you – something for you to consider.
Look at what your competitors do and re-design your raft of services, your promises and guarantees, to make your offering massively more uniquely valuable. Market your unique value and show the marketplace how brilliant you are. Get this right and will OWN your very own hyper-valuable niche. Become the only show in town, for someone looking for YOUR kind of service.
What do you think?
Image credit: Atrayu
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I find it interesting when I talk to people and you can tell that they’re dead set on competing with you. One time, I was contemplating starting a new website, so I asked some people in the niche for advice. The response? “Why would I help you start a competing site?” or “What’s wrong with my site? Why does everybody leave and start their own?”
…
I don’t get competition on this scale. When you instantly start seeing people as competitors (I’d never argued with these people before!) you’re cutting off an opportunity to co-evolve and learn from others. Also, competing with everybody takes too much energy…
Why can’t we be friends? :’(
Sadly Corey, that kind of competition is not only common, it’s almost the norm. As you say, it truly is a limiting mindset.
You know how it makes people look really bad when they put down the competition?
I think the opposite is also true. I think it makes you look great when you say something positive about them. Just a thought. Great post Jim.
You’re right. There’s something special that happens, when we hear people being positive about others in their industry. Good point Elizabeth.
Hi Jim, I wrote about this in my blog about the career professional industry last week, Competition or Colleague. My philosophy is much like yours, I call them colleagues. In our industry, prior to social media, no one really knew about us at all. Since most of us are either sole proprietors or small businesses, there are no television commercials or other high visibility marketing strategies in place. For years, we have been helping either other out on our organization e-lists with everything from resume strategies to business practices. I can’t think of a more helpful profession. The global marketplace is far to big to worry about fighting over clients. I’d rather do what I do best, help my clients and enjoy the training and encouragement I get from my colleagues.
My friend, Dawn Bugni of Write Solutions told me last week that one of our other colleagues shared on the Resume Chicks radio show that when one of us works with a client, they have a whole army of the rest of us behind them… ala the Verizon commercials and that is totally true.
I like the camaraderie that I see you have with other marketing professionals like Danny Brown. Seems like there too, it is only best to work together. It just makes the world a better place.
Great comment Julie, thanks.
When you consider the fact that we are all different, that no 2 people are the same, it’s easier to think of us as having no real need to compete – at least not in the traditional way.
By developing a uniquely valuable service, we become a unique person with a unique business. At that point, there’s no need to see everyone as a competitor.
I think you have a good point where many businesses and individuals waste valuable time, effort and resources in trying to scandalize, slander and dominate by any means unnecessary those they see as a threat to their products/services.
The ones who suffer the most when this mentality is adopted by the majority of entities in the particular industry are the consumers/clients. All of us are consumers/clients to someone else.
This world would be so much better off if everyone adopted this attitude.
Alas, I can only wish.
You make a good point there abut slander / liable Anthony, which I didn’t really cover in the post.
I find it hard to believe, when I see or hear people openly slating their competitors. I saw it recently in a thread on a blog, where the creator of a piece of software went swore over and over again in a series of outbursts, aimed at his main competitor.
What amazes me, is that this guy could think that his outburst did anything, other than make him look small and desperate.
Thanks for the feedback sir.
Hi Jim,
Excellent thread!
The energy we send out comes back to us including the negative comments and scarcity beliefs.
Some of my best teachers are competitors in the traditional sense of the word.
Thank you
Steve
You’re welcome Steve – thanks for the comment sir!
I agree with Steve that you’ve got a very good thread going here, Jim. I would add two things:
1. Lisa Barone wrote a good post that seems to mirror a lot of what Jim is talking about on the Small Business Trends blog last month. It’s viewable at http://bit.ly/8GMH0f
2. The nonprofit I work for runs a small business competition, and every year the theme seems to keep reappearing that if, as Tony Hsieh at Zappos says, your culture is your brand and that culture translates to service you can’t find anywhere else, people will not only patronize you vs. your customers, they’ll happily pay above market rate for a product/service. I find this pretty compelling, particular since many in both the private and public sectors are looking to small business to pull us out of our struggling economy.
An interesting take on the post. Thanks Mark.
Whoops, meant to say “vs. your competitors” under #2.