Coaching - I Have Seen The Competition And It Is Me
Who is your competition? If you’re like every other self-respecting online business owner you have scoured the Internet locating other sites that sell similar merchandise or services. And like most businesses you learn what you can from these sites and make use of what you learn.
Who is your competition? Is it the box store down the street that can sell similar products for less than you can acquire yours? If you’re like most business owners you seek creative ways to market your product in a manner that accentuates the unique features and qualities that can’t be duplicated in box store purchases.
But who is your competition?
You. You are your own best competition.
As a business owner you need to pay attention to what other businesses do (both online and in brick and mortar counterparts). In the end, however, you are in competition with yourself first and foremost.
You may or may not be able to match or beat another business in price, but you can work hard to do better in business this year than you did last.
Think for a minute about all the things that you are doing better at this year than last. Don’t limit your thinking to financial data.
Are you better able to handle administrative duties this year than last?
Are you establishing new networks between business associates and customers?
Are you implementing new marketing strategies that you didn’t know about last year?
Are you streamlining customer service by developing autoresponders and faster product fulfillment options?
Are you making sure your website remains fresh and inviting in a way that you weren’t able to last year?
Are you more passionate about your business this year as you were last year?
Are you responding to customer requests for certain products and eliminating others that do not sell as well?
I could ask dozens of additional questions, but the point to this exercise is that if you spend more time competing with yourself than with another business you will most often find greater success.
When you compete against yourself you are better able to learn what you can from mistakes you’ve made in the past and improve. When you focus too much on what someone else is doing you are less able to evaluate what mistakes you have (or are) making. In the end you may not have the ability to be objective about how you are doing as a business because you are spending too much time concentrating on a business you don’t own.
Maybe this is the year you can start a new and healthy competition – with yourself.
Scott Lindsay is a web developer and entrepreneur. He is the founder of HighPowerSites and many other web projects. Get your own website online in just 5 minutes with HighPowerSites.com at: http://www.highpowersites.com Start your own ebook business with BooksWealth at: http://www.bookswealth.com
Tags: business coaching, ecommerce, internet business, online store, selling online
