How can one prepare to succeed in ANY business without keeping an eye out on the competition? Your points are right on the mark! Sometimes, even “outing” yourself to the competition can help you both learn – and avoid “tripping” over eachother for sales. I do that in my jewelry business…I am ALWAYS happy to “sit down” with the competition (of which there is VERY little), as the market has room for BOTH of us, and an honest exchange of SOME ideas can be beneficial to both. IF there is trust, and I do not have the product that a competitor has, I will phone the competitor, and let them know I am sending somebody their way. Such gestures are usually NOT forgotten, but reciprocated…of course, depending on the nature of the business! The most important thing, however, is to NEVER reveal your ENTIRE hand!

Great post! Thanks.

Rita

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Thanks! It’s tough to do, though. I think in restaurants, folks aren’t worried about trying out the other guys, but a lot of other small businesses have blinders on. “I’m too busy” is the excuse, but “I don’t want to know” is more like it. It’s too valuable an exercise not to give it a try (even though I’m glad to help I love to see people learning how to keep their eyes open like this all the time).

Steph,

That’s it. Some owners don’t want to feel bad about their business by checking out the competition, but as you say it has great potential to make you feel good about the differences you plan to offer. It keeps you sharp!

Amy,

That’s the nicest thing I’ve heard in I-don’t-know-when. Thanks.

‘Fraid it’s true…. I wondered for a long while what made fall the big time for calls and emails and even Internet searches, then I realized that summer may allow for relaxing, and for ideas to percolate, but fall is when we head indoors and things start to boil. That’s why I kept the summer Mondays light. Asking someone to get too serious in the summer is asking them to put it on the “someday” list—nobody likes to start the heavy stuff when they’re dreaming of kicking back in a straw hat and sipping an iced tea.

Happy unofficial start of fall, guys!

Regards,

Kelly

I had never thought of autumn being a time of hunkering down and changing, but you’re so right now that I think about it…

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