If there is one thing that is true of any business in the world, it’s that there will be competition. Although you may hope to have a unique business, there will be others out there that are similar, and although this competition might be worrying and something that you would rather not think about, it can actually be a good thing if you use it wisely.
Keeping up with and then staying ahead of your competition should be a priority when you run a business. If you want to be successful and grow, you need to be the company that people go to more than anyone else. To do this, you need to be aware of your competition, and here are some tips on how to do it.
Have a Customized Space
Making do with whatever premises you can find, even if it’s not quite the size or area you want — or it’s a little over budget — isn’t a good way to run a business. Firstly, you need to be comfortable where you are working, and secondly, your customers need to be comfortable too. If they have to come to you and find that your premises is too cramped, not suitable for purpose, or simply used in the wrong way, they won’t come back. This is especially true if your competitors have a lovely premises that people like to go to.
To get ahead of your competition and make sure people are happy to buy or ask for advice, you can create your own customized building and set it up exactly the way you want. Steel building builders will be able to put the structure together after you have designed and commissioned it and it will be somewhere you are both proud of and comfortable in.
Discover Your Competition’s USP
If you can find out what your competition’s USP (unique selling point) is you can then see what they do differently and what they are marketing. This way, you can understand more about their business and what their intentions are. You’ll know who they are marketing to and what they are selling.
Once you know their USP, you can work on your own. The key word here is ‘unique,’ so don’t be tempted to simply use someone else’s USP. It’s useful to understand what other people see as their unique strength, but you also need to find your own. Make it entirely different to everyone else’s and you will be able to show you are one of a kind, as well as a business that people should buy from.
Find a Mentor
You can’t do everything by yourself, and if you try to there will be some areas that are less successful than others. There is nothing wrong with having a business mentor by your side to guide you and help you work out which areas you are best at and which should be outsourced to someone else.
A mentor will be priceless if your competitors don’t have one (or even if they do). They will be able to steer you around the pitfalls that they themselves discovered when running their own business, so you will be able to push further more quickly and get ahead of your competition in this way.
