Competition or Compliment?

Imagine this ~ One of your customers tries a new side of your product line. And, they don't get the results they are looking for. So they decide not to buy that particular product from you anymore. They do however continue to buy lots of other products from you. They remain one of your best customers.

And let's also imagine your new next door neighbor markets another brand of products very similar to the ones you carry.

How likely is it that you will refer your customer to your neighbor to see if maybe she could help with the particular product your customer is seeking?

Is your neighbor your competition?

What if you did refer your customer and they became really good customers of your neighbor's, TOO?
How would that be?

Perhaps it would be a compliment to your business stability and a spirit of plenty.

I would like to believe that we each attract our own. That's why we want to be specific about who we seek to attract. What sort of bait are we putting out there?

I often remind myself that there really is no competition at the top. For when one reaches a level of excellence in their own work, what others do is either irrelevant or complementary. Excellence is excellence no matter where you are.

Instead of thinking that all the other people in all the other companies (even in your own company) are competition, what if by supporting one another we are actually raising the image of the entire industry?
Entrepreneurs supporting entrepreneurs.

The key is to find others who share your values. In Networking groups and Chamber Mixers, watch for the 'Sneezers' and 'Connectors'. Those are the people with a sphere of influence and some credibility. (People who might previously have been seen as competition.)

In the book, Purple Cow, Seth Godin says: "Finding and seducing Sneezers is the essential step in creating an ideavirus."

That means if you really want your idea to take off, being around people who have influence and friends is a good thing.
If you like these people, TEAM up. Find out how you can support each other. Encourage everyone to be specific about their target markets. It helps reduce the threat of someone 'taking it all'.

If there is someone in the group who seems to be especially aggressive or territorial, let them be. They will get theirs.
Stay focused on YOUR target.
The better you are at what you do, the more likely it is the ones you want will come to you.