How to Beat Your Big Boy Competitors!

A number of years ago, I found myself trying to compete against well established competitors that were far larger and more successful than I was. I needed to develop some strategies and tactics for wining against them in the competitive world that I operated within.

As I look back now, I realize that the strategies and tactics that I employed to become one of the more successful Real Estate Agents in the DFW area apply to almost all professional services companies.

In the coming articles I will provide some of the fundamental ideas of how to compete and win against larger, established, and more successful competitors. 

A lot of the ideas are common sense ideas on how to compete against a larger player when you are a smaller player. If you use these concepts, you will win big.

I know that the strategies outlined in this material, combined with thoughtful training and development, will allow you to compete and win against much larger more established competitors. How do I know this? I have done it with many of my clients and used the concepts in my own real estate business to beat the “Big Boys!”

1 Sell Boutique

While the large company has many advantages over the small company, you can capitalize on their competitor’s largeness to create a marketing advantage. Every issue that the large competitor uses to an advantage can be turned into a disadvantage. This is not done by disparaging the larger competitor, rather, by positively pointing out the differences between the companies. Not every traveler wants to stay at the Standard Hotel and while the Standard Hotel appeals to a broad audience of business travelers, there are a number of smaller service oriented hotels that appeal to a special group of clientele that want, and are willing to pay, for superior services.

I believe in the strategy of differentiation. Now is the time to completely and thoroughly differentiate yourself from the larger competitors and create your own atmosphere. The descriptions of your company and the services you provide tell a story about how you are different from your competitors. The larger competitors often use size as an advantage; you therefore need to take that advantage away. For example, you might say to a prospect or client:

 "Well, Tom, as you know, we are not as large as some of the other providers in our industry. We believe that this is an advantage to you! You see, being small allows us to focus more completely on a smaller number of very important clientele and provide a level of service that others cannot match. It is hard for us to forget about what makes you happy and provides the greatest value to you, when you are so important to our success. Our personalized attention to your individual needs and wants sets us apart from others. While we could be larger, our goal is to be better."

We might go on to say:

"You know Tom; we work very hard to personalize our service to each client. Each client, like you, is unique and different. We are like that also! We work in a collaborative way with our clients and listen to them while recognizing that they are experts in their area of business. We work closely and directly with you. If we have to spread our time among more clients, your needs cannot be dealt with as thoroughly as we both desire."

Hope you enjoyed the short tip and that you will visit again soon!