As a trained marketer I have been taught to look at what competitors are doing. We undertake competitor analysis and try to ‘beat’ them by applying different marketing techniques through utilizing the 4 P’s of marketing, namely price, product, promotion and place.
This is what I call the ‘old’ way of marketing.
Why?
Because it’s an outdated way of looking at what we’re doing. By looking at your competitors, you’re taking your eyes off your own business which is never a good thing.
That’s why I’m unsubscribing from competition!
Focusing elsewhere means that you’re not actively moving your own business forward.
It’s also an ‘icky’ way of doing business I find. It’s focusing on the negative rather than the positive. Looking at what your competitors are doing often ends up in a ‘they’re sh*t at doing XYZ’ and ‘we’re so much better’ attitude which results in marketing communications from a scarcity mindset.
Your customers will feel this and it’s not an attractive way to do business.
It really doesn’t help knowing what everyone else is up to, as it’s not going to make a difference to your business.
Focusing on your own grass and making it greener than green is what will make a difference to your business.
You don’t even need to know what shade of green your competitors grass is, if you do YOU 100% honestly and authentically your grass will outshine anyone elses.
We all want to be unique, yet when we keep looking sideways we end up being clones and copies. Start focusing on your strengths and do YOU. Nobody has what you have, which is YOU. Nobody can copy YOU.
So start blazing your own trail and forget what everyone else is up to. Be a leader, be an inspiration, let them follow you instead of the other way around.
