All About Your Competition

A smart entrepreneur will respect and learn from those who are successful in the same space.

How Well do you Know Your Competitors?

While it might be common to criticize your competition and see their faults and inadequacies, a smart entrepreneur will respect and learn from those who are successful in the same space. What are their strategies for penetrating the market, positioning themselves, pricing, and service delivery? Why do you think people buy from them instead of you?

Social media, internet, web searching, google reviews, or even calling and asking about their offering or visiting their sites are all ways to gather your competitive intel.

Keep in mind that your competitor might not offer the same thing you do. For example, competitors to airlines are not just other airlines, but are also other forms of transportation. Or, psychotherapists might see their competitors as psychologists or social workers, or physiotherapists might see kinesiologists gaining market share.

Once you have this knowledge, reflect on what you do at least 90% better than them. This becomes your Unique Selling Proposition. It’s that thing that you or your team are just better at. Those things are what you need to position yourself for. 24-hour service? Unique technology? New and effective approaches? Specific population expertise? A group of therapists that provide something rare in the healthcare space?

Can your offering be provided better? Faster? Cheaper? When did you last look at this?

Through analyzing your competition, you are better positioned to leverage your own strengths.

Want to learn more? Let’s connect.


Adapted from “Clarity 1.6 Study Your Competition” by FocalPoint Coaching and Training Excellence, Copyright 2018, by Brian Tracy and Campbell Fraser. Reprinted with permission.

 

 

Julie Entwistle MBA, BSc (OT), BSc.

Julie Entwistle is a Certified FocalPoint Business Coach and works with business owners and professional service providers.

Julie helps her clients by building their business confidence so they can run, grow, and develop legacy practices that are focused and optimally successful. Julie knows that when professional service businesses do better, their clients also benefit. She knows this because she was one! Prior to joining FocalPoint, Julie was an independent owner of her own healthcare business before successfully merging, growing, and selling the practice. As an owner Julie had her own business coach, and this was a key element in her success.

Academically, Julie has degrees in Health Studies and Gerontology and Health Science (Occupational Therapy) from the University of Waterloo and McMaster, respectively, and an MBA from Wilfrid Laurier. She attended Queens University as a part-time Doctorate student prior to discontinuing her studies in 2023. Julie is also a Chartered Director and has Board and governance experience.

Julie grew up in a franchise family, so business is in her DNA. She has raised four daughters who are off writing their own stories as young adults. Julie is active and fit with a black belt in Karate, a competitive golf game, and enjoys many other sports. She believes in authenticity, showing kindness to all living things, and is happiest when helping others to build their own wealth and wellness.

Find Julie on LinkedIn at: linkedin.com/in/julieentwistle

https://www.businessyou.ca
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