subject: But the Other Guys Have It! [print this page] But the Other Guys Have It! But the Other Guys Have It!
Remember your Mom's response to that justification? It was probably something along the lines of "So does that mean you'd jump off a cliff just because the other guy did?"
Business is no different - or at least it shouldn't be.
Market leadership is not about being just like everyone else.
Leadership is about defining (or clarifying) who and what our companies are, what value we bring and why that matters. It's about doing things that are special for our customers.
Market leadership is about being unique.
Pointing to a competitive loss and proclaiming that you have to have some brand new competitive whatchamafloppy to win is not a strategy for success.
As kids, we ask for things because our friends have them. I just had to have that new really cool board game like the one my friend got for her birthday. The one I NEVER played after the first day - having whined and wheedled until my grandpa bought it for me.
Wanna bet how many customers feel the same way about that cool technical whatchamafloppy? How many will forget about that feature you think is the key to winning? A lot of them.
Sure, there are some product or service enhancements that are essential to your business growth. You should find the most effective way to incorporate them into your solutions. But competitive me-too's are not what differentiate your value. They surely won't make you a leader. Not when someone else already has that whizbang power feature.
Focus on serving your customers instead of keeping up with your competitors. That's the path to leadership.
As for your competitors, they belong in your rearview mirror.
