Remember if people talk behind your back, it only means you are two steps ahead. Fannie Flagg This Sales Diva absolutely loves the above quote from Fannie Flagg! It happens every day doesnt it? In fact it may even have happened to you at one point or another. You are working hard on your business, attracting customers, making salesand then IT HAPPENS. You see something in the paper that your competitor is doing.you hear an ad on the radio about themor you lose a customer or prospect to the EVIL COMPETITOR and your stomach turns into knots. You panic. You begin hyperventilating....all because of what some other business is doing. You frantically start thinking of how you can drop your prices, have a promotion, give away free cheese anything to keep your competitor away! Stay Away From Monkey Mind! There is a phrase in Buddhism that refers to what happens when you allow distraction to take you over A related metaphor is the allegory of a monkey stretching as far as he can to grab the reflection of the moon in water. He cannot understand that he is looking in the wrong place. I see many businesses jump into monkey mind thinking when they start worrying about their competitors. Heres some Sales Diva advice: - Remember unless your company is built upon having the cheapest prices dont worry about competitors charging less. There will always be SOMEONE playing that angle do you really want to play in that arena? - Be aware of what is happening with a competitor but dont be a copy-cat. - Be pro-active. Focus more on what your customer needs from you if they dont see the value in you the first place they will go is PRICE. - Complacency is YOUR BIGGEST COMPETITOR. Your customer can always choose to do.nothing and stay with the status quo. Have you ever done that? - Chart your own course. Stay focused on your own goals, revenue objectives, marketing strategies. Survey your customers, treat them like gold and they will remain loyal to you. So the next time you feel a bad case of Monkey Mind coming on take a deep breath and remember The Sales Diva words of wisdom. Because worrying about the competition will only drive you bananas! Copyright 2005 |
