Once you’re happy in your brand and its positioning you can explore ways to turn competition to collaboration A while ago I was invited along to a sales training workshop following a networking meeting I’d attended. Some people couldn’t work out why I’d been invited or why I’d want to go as I was an established sales trainer and the guy running the workshop had a somewhat intimidating reputation that preceded him.
It was a small workshop made up of people already pretty successful in their chosen fields. As frank and open participation was encouraged and, as the trainer running the workshop and I had very different views on one of the techniques advocated, the session became extremely lively!
I had a thoroughly enjoyable and enlightening three hours (thank you Marcus) and got to know about a guy I’d be happy to recommend to his target market. He knows more about me and is prepared to do likewise as and when the opportunity arises.
It became crystal clear during that workshop and our ensuing telephone conversation that, partly because our approach and styles of delivery are so different, we’re not in competition at all… And we each stand to benefit from our collaboration.
Take another example:
One of my customers runs a small family firm creating bespoke special purpose machines and product equipment for the manufacturing industry.
He’s first and foremost an engineer and found it difficult to prospect for business, claiming that companies tend to approach him as and when they have a need rather than file his information away 'in case'. He relied on referrals and his website to provide all of his work and sometimes there was nothing from either source.
He knew who his larger competitors were, so I asked how often he thought they would be approached for small, bespoke solutions and how viable it would be for them to provide them. He didn’t know the answer to the first question but believed they wouldn’t be set up to easily and cost effectively meet the need. So I suggested contacting them and exploring opportunities for collaboration.
He was comfortable with this approach and didn’t really view it as prospecting. He gradually built his contacts, started getting referrals and established a good reputation amongst these companies and is now seen as their automatic first port of call to help their customers in this situation.
Win - win for everyone. Give it a go - see if you can turn competition into collaboration!
You can access more free tips and pointers at www.sellingforbusiness.com
Turn competition into collaboration - To learn more about this author, visit Linda Mattacks's Website.
Like this article? Share it with your friends
 |
Related Articles |
|
 Turn competition into collaboration
|
| |
Sometimes we can be too quick to classify other companies in our market as competition when closer examination could uncover potential mutually beneficial alliances.
|
|
A CEOs Thoughts on Collaboration
|
| |
 I had breakfast with Matt Blumberg – the CEO of Return Path – yesterday. I’ve worked with Matt for at least six years and love the way his brain works. During my frustrating quest for the best chocolate croissant ...
|
|
Collaboration & Team Building for Sales Force Management Growth
|
| |
Collaboration & Team Building: Adding Value to Your Employees
|
|
The need for collaboration
|
| |
This article focuses on the importance of accessing other resources to help accomplish much needed tasks. Joint projects can be beneficial to cooperating organizations.
|
|
Lesson #4: Use the Competition to your Advantage
|
| |
 Two heads are better than one, or so the saying goes. While many CEOs choose to keep all their company secrets closely guarded for fear of losing ground to the competition, Hewlett and Packard were of another opinio...
|
|
|
Linda Mattacks
(Visit Linda's Website)
"Linda Mattacks is one of those rare
professionals who combine deep
strategy-awareness with a thoroughly
practical approach to business marketing.
What's more, she is as much a hard-nosed
and sales-driven results seeker as she is
an intuitive people person who understands
what makes everyone tick. She has built a
wealth of experience in sales training,
business research, marketing campaign
planning and project management. Linda has
helped organisations of all types and
sizes in the UK and Europe to learn more
about their customers and markets, and
turn that knowledge into revenue. Her
mature and human manner has won her both
business partners' and colleagues'
complete trust, which has opened many new
opportunities for all involved.” - Jaakko
Alanko - MD McCann-Erickson, Business
Division, London, England ... Linda
Mattacks M IDM (the Institute of Direct
Marketing) is a trainer and mentor. She
has developed Selling For Business, a
course that combines the sales, research
and contact marketing skills that enable
individual entrepreneurs and small
businesses to compete successfully with
large organisations. Please visit www.sel
lingforbusiness.com for more details
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
![[Get Copyright Permissions]](http://license.icopyright.net/images/icopy-w.gif){kind=small}
