I don’t believe in competition. Years ago when doing marketing and social media plans I put a lot of emphasis on knowing what your competition is doing. While I still think that can be super helpful, I don’t believe the goal should be “how can I do it better?” I believe the goal should be “how can I utilize my strengths and my skills to do it differently?” What unique things can I offer? What unique approach? What is unique about me that I can create branding around?
If your doing it “differently” you are not competing, and you will attract the audience that needs you. If you are losing business because the market is becoming more saturated then you are not innovating. Tony Robbins says, “If you are not growing, you are dying.”
I truly believe if we are worried about competition then we are not tapping into what is unique about us and what we have to offer. We may have not yet begun to understand and utilize the unique gifts we possess. I do think when we tap into what makes us special and unique everything in life just flows easier.
I think one of my biggest gifts is my ability to see what others don’t see and easily tie concepts together into text with lots of detail, facts, and creative solutions. I’m good at creative problem solving and I’m working to pay more attention to that gift.
I understand and I’m even apart of networking groups that only have one person per profession. The idea of hurting other people’s feelings by choosing to go with someone else can be difficult. But I think it would only bother me if it was a customer I was super excited to work with. I have been in networking groups with overlapping professions and its never bothered me.
Some of us like to research a few different businesses before making a decision. We might choose a person outside of our regular networking groups. It may be a person we have never met before. The business may have a unique approach that better matches our needs, we receive a good referral from a friend, or they have more customizable options.
There is No Competition if People Like You
People often want to give business to people they like and trust. That is one of the best concepts of networking. If you have a friend that does quality work, and you really trust them, even if they are the most expensive company to hire, you are going to give them the business.
There wasn’t even a hesitation or different options that were explored when picking our realtor in Wisconsin for buying our first home. It was one of my husband’s childhood friends that he has known forever. We know he loves his work, works hard, and has our best interests in mind. So of course we went with him. It is easier to give business to a friend.
People will even choose to give business to someone just due to common interests. Most purchasing decisions are made with the unconscious brain and are based on emotions.
There is rarely such a thing as being better than the competition. This is because there is no way you can be better in every way! People don’t always choose the cheapest product or service because they know cheaper is often lower quality. If the competition has better or more reviews, it doesn’t necessarily make them better. They just worked harder to get those. One example, a cabinet company may offer the best quality, but your product could be more customizable and people like that better, or you offer more options to choose from, or your staff is friendlier and more timely in providing a service at a reasonable price. There are a ton of ways to stand out!
Benefits of Getting to Know People in Your Field (Some would call this competitors)
When I started networking at the start of my business I enjoyed setting up meetings with other marketing people to see what they do differently. I figured if they were doing something I’m not doing or if there were certain types of businesses that were not a good fit for me, then I would know who to refer them to. Often the businesses were very different from mine, and there were only a couple that offered the exact same services as me. Some people just saw me as competition and didn’t want to meet me with me, and I think that is not a growth mindset. I think it is better as a business person to get to know people in your industry. You don’t have to share any of your methods and processes, but you can share knowledge.
It is NEVER a good idea to meet people to scope out weaknesses and use it against them. That is the wrong way to get business. But you might learn something from them, even if they are not trying to educate you on anything. You might develop a friendship over common interests and want to help each other grow. Maybe they are after the small companies and you want the larger companies. Maybe they are looking to specialize in one thing, and you are looking to specialize in something else. There are so many opportunities to pass referrals! You could even partner on a project because you both specialize in some different services.
I have turned down business before and even recommended other marketing people when the project was not a good fit for me. It has been super helpful to know people who do work similar to what I do.
Networking Can Work Even With An Overlap of Professions
When I was part of my local Chamber of Commerce there were a few other marketing companies a part of it, as well. But I never found that to be intimidating. Approximately 50-60 people would show up for a networking event, and it was never the same 60 people. So there was always new people to meet. There was plenty of business to go around.
When I was new to networking, I was told the trick is to just keep showing up and eventually you will get some business out of it. So I did, and eventually people started approaching me to see if I could help them. I also found many of the marketing people were not consistent with showing up regularly, so I think that helped me. Some days I was the only marketing person there.
The Importance of Community
My husband was talking to a local brewer and he was asking about the struggle of having a brewery in an oversaturated market. He was told that the brewers around here support one another, it is like a community. Everyone shares tips and helps each other out. Awesome. Right?
This happens in the professional world quite often, as well. There are many groups for marketing people to share information. I get emails from a chiropractor who is constantly sharing free advice for other chiropractors, and I know of a community for life coaches to help other life coaches succeed. We all need support, to not feel alone, and we grow more when we learn from others and make new connections.
None of us have all the answers. I don’t have all the marketing answers. So I think it is awesome when people want to help one another. I think in the world of wellness there is enough business for everyone. There are so many people struggling with health issues today, and that number is only growing.
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