Your Only Competition
When it comes to selling, there’s an old saying that you can have any two of the following three items but not all three at the same time:
- Good & Fast (but not Cheap)
- Good & Cheap (but not Fast)
- Fast & Cheap (but not Good)
The reality is that the true value of small business is none of the above. We take pride is providing quality products and services, competitively priced and finished within a reasonable timeframe for the work involved.
There are a lot of us out there selling the same products and services, so what’s our competitive advantage? Do we need to undersell ourselves or sacrifice quality to scramble for business?
Not in the least. Those customers who want good and fast, good and cheap or fast and cheap are here one day and gone the next. For us, they’re not our target market because we’ll never be able to rely on them to become loyal customers. In a sense, they only waste our time and distract us from focusing on those who can help us thrive. Besides, studies have shown that most people would pay more to buy from businesses they trusted because they perceived added value.
We prosper when we become known more for our value than for our products and services. There’s only one hitch. You may know what value you bring to what you do, but how do you convey that to your customers? The most important thing customers want to know before they buy anything is whether or not they believe you. It’s up to you to make them believe.
How do you do that? Look to yourself first:
- Believe in yourself in what you’re doing, what you’re selling and how you’re doing it.
- Believe in honesty and sincerity to win trust and loyalty.
- Believe your customer is best served when you listen more and sell less
When you look at it from that perspective, the only one you’re competing with is yourself. Now, all you need to do is make sure you’re better today than you were yesterday and that tomorrow you will be better than you were today. As Babe Ruth said, ‘ Yesterday’s home runs don’t win today’s games.’