How To Beat Your Competition - The Story Of a Scared Competitor

Business is war, without doubt. Competitors want to beat you to earn more money. The stream of money in a market isn’t infinite, so everyone wants his share. That’s why the bigger companies use competitive intelligence and do a lot to be better and stand above their competitors. Online, people tend to work together or leave their competitors alone. I never see people actively competing and trying to be better (and pointing that out to their prospects!) Why is that actually? And how do you become better then your competitor and show that to your prospects?

For a long time I had the same problem. My customers experienced that I was way better, but I didn’t let my prospects know so it didn’t result in more business. I was ready to give up on competitive analysis and my strategy. Until I finally discovered a few simple ways to crush my competitors…

I’ve started asking my clients if they wanted to share their experiences on paper, audio and video. Asking them specifically about why I’m better then my competitors, they gave me the information I then put into my marketing materials. After including this comparison-tactic in my marketing I didn’t only see my conversion ratio go up with 13%, but also got a lot more people subscribing to my lists, visiting my sites and actually calling to have a chat with me.

A few weeks later I had the first competitors coming to me, complaining about my marketing tactics. Also, I got some people who I ’spied’ on to improve my own products and services blocking me from their sites, cancelling memberships and so forth. The argument I often heard is that I was ’stealing’ content…

Is spying on your competitors to improve your own products and services stealing? Is it illegal? Actually it isn’t. It’s done everywhere and most information is the same in many products as well as many services are exactly the same. Could you then accuse someone for stealing?

Of course not!

I recommend you study your competitors, buy their products, use their services, be on their lists. Then use the information you find to improve your own products. Don’t copy of course, but use the information wisely. Point out the flaws of your competition (in general, don’t name any names!) in your marketing materials. Let your prospect know why you’re better!

And when someone then accuses you of stealing and blocks you from their site or cancels your membership - then just tell them they’re scared. In the end your competition is scared of you finding their secrets… Just like my recent experience with fellow-copywriter Michael Humpreys. Business is war, grab your weapons and crush your enemies!