Let’s make a little wager…

I’ll bet you just about anything that I know your competition better than you.

“How much?” you ask. Well, how much do you have?

Let me immediately apologize for the arrogant nature of the question. However, I still feel confident that I’ll win the bet. Not because I’m smarter, have researched more, or have some innate psychic abilities.

It’s because you think of the wrong business — or an incorrect individual — as your competition.

Most of us believe our competition is the company that is selling a product or service that is the most similar to our own. (Or, a professional who works for that company calling on customers and prospects in a similar territory to our own.)

However, from the customer’s standpoint, your competition is vastly different from that.

If I have a great night’s stay at a Ritz-Carlton, I do not say…”Wow! What a terrific experience…for a hotel.” I simply proclaim it to be a great experience. The great folks I’ve previously blogged about from Hare Chevrolet in Indianapolis deliver compelling service — not just from a car dealer’s standpoint…it is from a universal perspective.

Customers evaluate your delivery of service and creation of experience based upon the TOTALITY of their knowledge. The sum of their observations about the type of encounters they should expect when they do business is what generates their opinions about yours.

That means that your competition isn’t just the folks selling something similar to what you are. It means that Nordstrom, Starbucks, Ritz-Carlton, Apple…and even Taxi Terry…are your competition, too!

If they can deliver Ultimate Customer Experiences (TM), then your clients and prospects cannot discern any reasons why you shouldn’t, either.

So…forget the bet. Now you know the trick.

However, shouldn’t it make you want to re-evaluate your approach, just a little?