A very successful CEO once told me that he felt every business needed to compete against a company they wanted to annihilate!
He felt that this level of competitiveness drives performance in both his company and with his competitor making them both better for it.
He also stated that this level of competitiveness drives service and the clients are better for it too.
Now just to be clear, we’re not talking about doing anything illegal, unethical or immoral.
Before you write this off as aggressive, this mentality is alive and well with not only certain businesses and industries but it also exists in Sports.
Think I’m kidding?
Go ahead and tell everyone in NY Yankees territory that you are a Sox fan. I’m sure I’m not going out on a limb when I say that if I wear my Yankees Jersey up in Boston no one will be buying me a beer any time soon.
Now as aggressive as this type of relationship is people believe it drives performance and a better experience for the fans.
So what are your thoughts . . .
Should we seek a peaceful coexistence or can the concept of a (professionally executed) Evil Empire relationship serve our business?
I’d appreciate your thoughts!
To learn more about how you can hire Paul Castain as your coach . . . click here!
Hi Paul,
That is so true.
I think competition is always a good thing to have because it drives people and companies to do better. If one company always had a monopoly in the marketplace then they would never develop anything new since they really did not have to.
Thanks for all your awesome tips,
Tony Pita
Thanks Tony!
you cannot be bi-winning, no matter what Charles Sheen will try to convince you. 🙂
I think it makes sense to annihilate your competition (weaken them and maybe take over) when you are in a better position competitively… peaceful coexistence sounds more to be in line with the underdog role.
I stopped listening to Charlie Sheen ages ago 🙂
Thanks for stopping by.
you cannot be bi-winning, no matter what Charles Sheen will try to convince you. 🙂
I think it makes sense to annihilate your competition (weaken them and maybe take over) when you are in a better position competitively… peaceful coexistence sounds more to be in line with the underdog role.
I stopped listening to Charlie Sheen ages ago 🙂
Thanks for stopping by.
Competition is king!
Thanks Dan!
I honestly rarely think of my competition at all. It really doesn’t come up, because truly in my field we have no peers. My greatest foe is the status quo of what the prospect is doing now. In my mind I see that, what they are doing improperly or cutting themselves short by their own poor internal practices as the foe. So often, if they aren’t really failing, if they are managing to get by, they don’t see correcting internal procedures even though it can make a massive difference to their bottom line, as a priority. I have learned that not all, business people are entrepreneurs. They may be well skilled at a trade they love, or be in a profession they love doing but they really lack understanding of how vital it is to keep their business or practice with a healthy cash flow. So all of that to say the real enemy I believe, at least of my business is in the mindsets, bad habits, and short visions of my prospects. Of course I can’t really attack that at all, I have to gently show them what it really means to write off $1000.00, if they are fortunate enough to be operating at 10% profit that means they will have to do $10,000 in new business to get back that $1,000. That’s an eye-opener for most people, and helps them be ready to accept recommendations. By the way if I thought another company offered what we do at a better price, or quality I’d be there.
Have a wonderful day.
My best,
Elizabeth Houser
Your last sentence sums it up wonderfully Elizabeth.
Thanks for stopping by to contribute!
Competition is king!
Thanks Dan!
I honestly rarely think of my competition at all. It really doesn’t come up, because truly in my field we have no peers. My greatest foe is the status quo of what the prospect is doing now. In my mind I see that, what they are doing improperly or cutting themselves short by their own poor internal practices as the foe. So often, if they aren’t really failing, if they are managing to get by, they don’t see correcting internal procedures even though it can make a massive difference to their bottom line, as a priority. I have learned that not all, business people are entrepreneurs. They may be well skilled at a trade they love, or be in a profession they love doing but they really lack understanding of how vital it is to keep their business or practice with a healthy cash flow. So all of that to say the real enemy I believe, at least of my business is in the mindsets, bad habits, and short visions of my prospects. Of course I can’t really attack that at all, I have to gently show them what it really means to write off $1000.00, if they are fortunate enough to be operating at 10% profit that means they will have to do $10,000 in new business to get back that $1,000. That’s an eye-opener for most people, and helps them be ready to accept recommendations. By the way if I thought another company offered what we do at a better price, or quality I’d be there.
Have a wonderful day.
My best,
Elizabeth Houser
Your last sentence sums it up wonderfully Elizabeth.
Thanks for stopping by to contribute!
I think it’s always better to fly under the radar when competing. By announcing to your competition you’re coming after them will only get them riled up. Similar to when an athlete smack talks another.
Also, you need to find out what drives your team. Simply saying lets kill the competition might not be enough mo for them to perform. Maybe their motivation is to provide great customer service. You need to find out the values and motivators for the team first, strategy and tactics second.
Thanks Steve . . . well stated!
I think it’s always better to fly under the radar when competing. By announcing to your competition you’re coming after them will only get them riled up. Similar to when an athlete smack talks another.
Also, you need to find out what drives your team. Simply saying lets kill the competition might not be enough mo for them to perform. Maybe their motivation is to provide great customer service. You need to find out the values and motivators for the team first, strategy and tactics second.
Thanks Steve . . . well stated!
Hola Paul, you pin striped agent provocateur you!
Competition by definition needs something or someone to compete against. And this is a good thng for our human condition. To strive to be better is always beneficial to ourselves and to others.
The challenge is to make sure the ‘evil empire’ is the thing we compete against, and does not begin to subvert and thus define our own enterprise. Most of us have likely had the gut-churning experience of working for someone who wore the evil incarnate label like a badge of honor. And we probably said, ‘never again, will I sell my soul to a devil like that.’
Competition is a good but we need to make being and doing good part of our value proposition too. The other day, a wise economist we both know, posted a blog link from another gent railing about the mishaps which caused Pepsi to lose its way in recent years. Instead of competing against the big bad Coke empire, it got off track a bit. And its sales are suffering.
I share said blog for what it is worth, and hope we may all be blessed to recognize what dragon we need to slay, and what agent provocateur we need to keep as our good seer!
http://adcontrarian.blogspot.com/2011/03/social-medias-massive-failure.html
Cheerio,
Kevin Keane, loopy leprechaun lawyer, 1st Class
Great points Kevin it makes me think about energy and where to expend it . . . doing good or catching, taking or just dominating our competitors.
I will check out that blog post Mr Keane 🙂 Thank you Sir!
Hola Paul, you pin striped agent provocateur you!
Competition by definition needs something or someone to compete against. And this is a good thng for our human condition. To strive to be better is always beneficial to ourselves and to others.
The challenge is to make sure the ‘evil empire’ is the thing we compete against, and does not begin to subvert and thus define our own enterprise. Most of us have likely had the gut-churning experience of working for someone who wore the evil incarnate label like a badge of honor. And we probably said, ‘never again, will I sell my soul to a devil like that.’
Competition is a good but we need to make being and doing good part of our value proposition too. The other day, a wise economist we both know, posted a blog link from another gent railing about the mishaps which caused Pepsi to lose its way in recent years. Instead of competing against the big bad Coke empire, it got off track a bit. And its sales are suffering.
I share said blog for what it is worth, and hope we may all be blessed to recognize what dragon we need to slay, and what agent provocateur we need to keep as our good seer!
http://adcontrarian.blogspot.com/2011/03/social-medias-massive-failure.html
Cheerio,
Kevin Keane, loopy leprechaun lawyer, 1st Class
If it were not for my competition I would not be a successful salesperson. Rock on!
Thanks Joe!
If it were not for my competition I would not be a successful salesperson. Rock on!
Thanks Joe!
If this statement were not true The Art of War would not have sold so many copies. From first hand expieriance I was a salesman for a company when I started it was selling around 400 Million per year. As the company grew and grew and grew to 3 billion dollars in the process obliterating its competition tha sales force was gungho eating up anything in its path like a horde of locusts or army ants. Than came the brick wall the what I call the WHAT NOW wall now the sales force was not measured by future success, but by daily numbers there was no longer a BIG COMPETITOR out there we had to destroy we were now that competitor which we so much enjoyed feasting on. Now you have titans in sales planting roses in the garden. So is competition healthy yes I think so as Demmings books have advised, can there be a coexistance yes McDonalds/Burger King, Home Depot/Lowes, Best Buy/Brandsmart etc, but there is one always beating the other or is this a monopoly coexisting. Just some thoughts from the trenches.
I think the key is that its a healthy competition and not something that the clients ultimately pay for or even at the expense of one’s morals, ethics etc.
Thanks!
The EE Concept is fine and may be good for the client as long as it is not at the expense of company employees and/or company culture. I have been in that place before.
I’ve seen it go over the top as well and that’s when nobody wins!
The EE Concept is fine and may be good for the client as long as it is not at the expense of company employees and/or company culture. I have been in that place before.
I’ve seen it go over the top as well and that’s when nobody wins!
Competition may make us work harder but you should keep it to yourself. Your customer doesn’t want to hear you bad mouth your competitor. Take the high road. Besides, you may end up working for that competitor one day.
Agreed. What if it were just an internal type of battle cry?
Competition may make us work harder but you should keep it to yourself. Your customer doesn’t want to hear you bad mouth your competitor. Take the high road. Besides, you may end up working for that competitor one day.
Both coexistence and the nemesis concept are extremely important to healthy business culture. Without the league, baseball teams would have no one to play with but themselves. I doubt many would pay to see that. Conversely without competition excellence is thwarted; evidenced by the lousy quality and service that results when a business manages to monopolize the market, driving all their competition out of business.
The attitude that I find most compelling and honorable is one of wanting to be the very best while also wanting to be part of a group of peers who feel the same and act accordingly. Those who seek honest individual achievement will want their peers to thrive as well if for no other reason than to challenge them to get even better at what they do.
Don F Perkins
http://mindmulch.net
I’m thinking balanced portions of both?
Thanks Don!
Both coexistence and the nemesis concept are extremely important to healthy business culture. Without the league, baseball teams would have no one to play with but themselves. I doubt many would pay to see that. Conversely without competition excellence is thwarted; evidenced by the lousy quality and service that results when a business manages to monopolize the market, driving all their competition out of business.
The attitude that I find most compelling and honorable is one of wanting to be the very best while also wanting to be part of a group of peers who feel the same and act accordingly. Those who seek honest individual achievement will want their peers to thrive as well if for no other reason than to challenge them to get even better at what they do.
Don F Perkins
http://mindmulch.net
As long as it’s done in the spirit of fairness and self-improvement, I’m all about competition. I’ve run more than one competitor put of town, not because that was the intent, but because I out-worked them and they took their toys and went home.
By not resorting to bad-mouthing them, but rather out-working them, the feedback clients gave me was that the competition told them that we are a great company and that they knew when they had been beaten.
Sales is a game, of sorts. As such, the deserved “victor” never has to apologize for playing a better game. I’ve never seen a coach who just won the game apologizing for beating the socks off the opposing team when they meet mid-field or mid-court after the game.
As has been said, competition causes you to bring your “A-Game” and, if your competition is paying any attention at all, everyone’s better off for it.
I appreciate your thoughts John!
Competition keeps everyone honest and trying harder. I agree with Elizabeth in that the “Status Quo” is your true competition. Getting a company to change what they currently do to give your service or product a try is one of the first hurdles anyway.
Great post Paul!
Cheers,
Larry
Thanks Larry!
Competition keeps everyone honest and trying harder. I agree with Elizabeth in that the “Status Quo” is your true competition. Getting a company to change what they currently do to give your service or product a try is one of the first hurdles anyway.
Great post Paul!
Cheers,
Larry
Research has actually shown that positive emotions, especially when shared amongst a group of people (fans, employees) etc. are much more potent than negative ones (we all hate – fill in blank). Sharing a positive feeling will bring a team to a whole new level while using a negative focus destabilizes that cohesion. So if you want your team to win, don’t hate your opponents, love your team.
Now that’s an interesting perspective Dorian!
I agree!
Now that’s an interesting perspective Dorian!
I agree!
I love the thrill of competition and I find that many other sellers do as well. At work, I find that we achieve sales goals more easily if there is some sort of contest involved whether it is internal or with another store. I just try to keep it friendly.
That’s the key Miriam. It doesn’t have to shady or underhanded or negative . . . just a performance driver!
Thanks1
It doesn’t matter if the competition is an evil empire, a long time friend or your own nature…it’s real. One just has to choose to celebrate the rivalry or be defeated by it. Just think what if Rudy thought he was too small to play football. Was it really a “Miracle” that the United States defeated the Soviet Union for the 1980 Gold Medal or was it their preparation for a fierce competition? Would Gale Sayers had become the man he was if not for the deep but competetive friendship Brian Piccolo?
I agree Candi. I think many people get put off by the idea because they think like I did when I first heard it that its malicious.
There are certainly many levels of competitiveness including one of high respect and even friendship as you pointed out.
Thanks!
That’s the key Miriam. It doesn’t have to shady or underhanded or negative . . . just a performance driver!
Thanks1
I agree Candi. I think many people get put off by the idea because they think like I did when I first heard it that its malicious.
There are certainly many levels of competitiveness including one of high respect and even friendship as you pointed out.
Thanks!
I’m a firm believer in competition makes everyone better – but I still won’t approve of you wearing a Yankees hat.
Go Red Sox!
There can be balance in coexisting. I haven’t always felt this way because I have such a competitive nature 🙂 but I have noticed that by helping expand even my competitors business or helping promote their brand, it all comes back and in my case, is for the greater good of those I say that I’m here to help.
What goes around comes around. Perhaps its a Karma thing Susan.
There can be balance in coexisting. I haven’t always felt this way because I have such a competitive nature 🙂 but I have noticed that by helping expand even my competitors business or helping promote their brand, it all comes back and in my case, is for the greater good of those I say that I’m here to help.
What goes around comes around. Perhaps its a Karma thing Susan.
I totally agree with this.
I see my company as the Rebel Alliance winning victories where we can from a much bigger Empire. I find it much more interesting and motivating to be in this position.
I also think the converse is true with companies that see themselves without competition potentially resting on their laurels. This can give the customers a bad experience as well as give the more passionate Rebel Alliance the opportunities they need to win victories.
More importantly, I think most things in life should incorporate Star Wars.
You had me at the multiple Star Wars references 🙂
Thanks Matt!
You had me at the multiple Star Wars references 🙂
Thanks Matt!
Paul, that very evil empire situation is what inspired A.L. Williams to take on the oldest and largest industry in the world and become number one in 7 years. In 1984 they beat out the number one and number two compnaies (New York Life & Prudential) and became the number one seller of life insurance. That company today is Primerica.
Great story Jim and a wonderful testimonial to this philosophy!
Thank you for stopping by!
Paul, that very evil empire situation is what inspired A.L. Williams to take on the oldest and largest industry in the world and become number one in 7 years. In 1984 they beat out the number one and number two compnaies (New York Life & Prudential) and became the number one seller of life insurance. That company today is Primerica.
Noted 🙂
Thanks Chris!
Dorian – I’d like that 1000 times if I could.
Ditto 🙂
Dorian – I’d like that 1000 times if I could.
Paul, I enjoy the professional discussion. Thanks for sharing. I believe businesses should, in a professional and ethical manner, compete. The healthy competition makes us better.
And thank you Ed . . . very nice of you to stop by and take the time to contribute to the discussion!
Paul, I enjoy the professional discussion. Thanks for sharing. I believe businesses should, in a professional and ethical manner, compete. The healthy competition makes us better.
And thank you Ed . . . very nice of you to stop by and take the time to contribute to the discussion!
Paul – Simple concepts. Monopoly breeds complacency. Competition breeds innovation and superior performance.
Cheers,
Marc
Paul – Simple concepts. Monopoly breeds complacency. Competition breeds innovation and superior performance.
Cheers,
Marc