This month’s Business Book Club book is Rework by Jason Fried & David Heinemeier Hansson and the section that really stood out for me is about competitors. I thought I would share a few of the ideas here, because some of them are quite radical and I totally agree with what the authors are saying.

1. Pour yourself into what you do. When you run a very small business, or if there’s just you there, this is easier to do. However, you need to make sure you do it all day, every day. Make YOU a huge part of your service – what you deliver and how you deliver it. Make YOU a big part of everything around your service as well, from how you answer the phone, to the way in which you promote your service and even to the Christmas or thank you cards you send. Why? Because your competitors can’t copy the YOU in your service. And that will help you to stand out from the crowd.
2. Pick a fight with your competitors. If you think a competitor sucks, say so! Having an enemy gives you a great story to tell your clients and prospects. Taking a stand stands out. People love to take sides in a conflict, so picking a fight can be a great way to get noticed. Here’s an example: I detest anyone who calls them self a ‘social media expert’! A few years ago I met one who told me that he’d been a social media expert for a year – that’s nowhere near long enough to become an expert in anything! I also detest social media experts because they tell people like you that you have to be on Facebook and Twitter and Instagram and LinkedIn and whatever the latest fad is. They tell you that you have to post at least three times a day and that you have to shout about how great you are, to build a huge audience. But what they don’t do is bother to look at the marketing strategy you need for your business. They shout about the tactics without first understanding who you are, who your clients are or what they need. They just take your money and don’t apologise when you don’t get any clients, despite following their (bad) advice! There – said it!!
3. Underdo your competition. Instead of trying to do more than them, do less. These days you can buy face cream that beats the seven signs of ageing. Two years ago there were only two signs of ageing to worry about. In a few years time there will be hundreds of signs and hundreds of different products all telling you they can combat all of them. (And if you look closely at the marketing, you’ll realise that actually many of the signs are the same, just written differently!) Solve the simple problems your clients face and leave the big, nasty problems to your competition. Highlight the fact that your service does less. Sell ‘less’ as much as your competition sell their huge features list.
4. Focus on you instead of them. When you focus on your competitors, you can’t spend time improving yourself, or coming up with something new and fresh to offer your clients. Don’t worry too much about what your competitors are doing (unless it’s so bad that you need to call them out as discussed in point 2 above). Certainly don’t copy them – do something different and redefine the rules.

You might not be ready to pick a fight with your competition, but you do need to pour yourself into what you do, underdo your competitors and focus on you instead of them. But if you are ready to pick a fight with your competitors, do tell me who and what and where and why! Good luck.