Today I’m talking about your competition, a lot of people get so afraid of them. They get afraid of giving their secrets away, and helping each other win, and finding and thinking that there’s not enough work to go around. Well, all that is a scarcity mindset. It’s all about holding what you have so close, but when you don’t open up and talk those people, you actually limit your ability to get better, and you limit your industry’s ability to win in your marketplace.
An example of that would be talking to some of your competitors that might be way bigger than you or way smaller than you, about referring work back and forth. There’s likely things you say no to right now, and you’re letting those people down. You’re not giving them an alternative option.
And vice versa, there’s somebody in your market right now that’s turning away your dream job, because it’s either too big or too small for them. So think about that, as when you’re thinking about referral partners and growing your business, a lot of times, your competition, who’s already getting calls for that kind of stuff, could be your best referral partner.
Second, there’s plenty of work to go around. I promise you, if you’re slow right now, it’s your fault. You haven’t been doing some things right, but there’s plenty of work to go around. Learn from each other, become the best option and the best version of yourself by talking to people who have been there already, who have accomplished what you’re trying to accomplish, and can help you overcome some of those struggles.
Get a part of an association where there’s 5 or 10 people in your history that can help you grow, help you excel, and help you be the best version of yourself so you can have that business you’ve wanted for.
Ultimately, your competition, winning alongside of you, helps everybody in your market be more comfortable with you. So many people are afraid of contractors. Even if you’re great, people are afraid of you because of the other people that aren’t very good or don’t communicate well or take advantage of people. If you can find a close-knit group of business owners to talk to and engage with, and make everybody better, everybody in your market wins. Nobody, there is not a single business in the world, that could handle every project in their marketplace for what they do, nor would you want it. So stop pretending that you need to hold on to everything like you’re afraid you’re never going to get another opportunity. There’s plenty of work out there. Utilize your competition to get better, utilize talking to them to improve. You might be surprised how many ideal clients you might be able to find by engaging with your competition.
I want you to win fast and win often.
Some of the best projects I’ve won have come from my competition, some of the best lessons I’ve learned have come from my competition. So don’t be afraid to reach out because you might just be missing the key to solving the biggest problem that’s holding your business back.
Mike Claudio
