OUT-CLUB YOUR COMPETITION.

Business Is Like Golf ... If You Want To Make The Shots, You Need To Use The Right Club

Competition can be good for your business. It's better, though, when you re the competitor who's driving the market rather than the business that's being outdriven by the guys down the street. You need the right ammunition, and you need the right clubs. "Outclubbing" your competition does not mean beating them to death. It just means using a different approach, a different tactic, a creative way to achieve better results. Think of it this way: A golfer does not always use a driver off the tee on every par four. It depends on how the hole is set up. Sometimes it's a three or five wood and a longer iron for a better chance of keeping it on the fairway. In tennis, a stronger serve might not be the answer; using an oversized racket might take up where a weaker backhand left off. In business, it's not low prices or a bigger store; it's being where your competition is not. It means doing well where they don't excel. It means sometimes using a different stick ... or, I guess, "shtick."

What is your business's strongest niche? What sets you apart from your competition? What can you do in a different way to dramatically increase your revenue?

Right now the cruise industry is really starting to grow. More cruise ships are being built each year. Bigger and better ships are coming out with plenty of cabins that are going to have to be filled. Just a few months ago Carnival Cruise Lines took a big step. It introduced the Paradise ... the first totally non-smoking ship to sail the Caribbean. It holds over 2,000 passengers. You sign a release form stating that you understand it is a non-smoking ship, smoking is not permitted, and if you are caught with smoking material in your possession, you are fined $250, put off at the next port, and figure out your own way home. On some cruises as many as a dozen people are escorted off the ship. This ship is booked solid every time it leaves Miami. People love it. Carnival thought outside the box and took a chance that paid off.

Stores Multiply Like Rabbits

The hardware super stores are multiplying like rabbits. Home Depot and Lowes are popping up in cities with as little as 30,000 residents. But some of the smaller hardware guys are not lying down and playing dead. They just reshuffle and do what the big guys can't. Some concentrate on small engine repair, unique and unusual tools, hard-to-find parts, used equipment, and lots of "you-don't-have-to-walk-two-miles-to-find-it" selections. Not to mention that you can park near the front door instead of in the next ZIP code.

Some automobile dealerships and showrooms are starting to be the size of football fields. They have coffee shops and amusement areas. They use golf carts to get people out to the acres of cars on the lot. But Car Max and AutoNation didn't scare the pants off of the local guys. The smaller dealers just concentrated on better service. They capitalized on knowing their customers better, and they stayed in touch with them more regularly. They also learned that it isn't always a heavily discounted price that gets the sale. Some customers want the personal attention, the free ride to the airport, the "we know you by your first name" atmosphere.

In the music business, grand pianos are not only highly competitive, but also in many cases it's become a huge discount business. There are Armory Sales, College Sales, and all kinds of Liquidation Sales. The public is starting to think that you've got to be crazy to pay list for a grand piano. Cooper Music of Atlanta brings another club out of the bag by offering to hold a concert in your own home with a purchase of a grand, and you can invite as many people as you want. Many of these people could be future prospects. And they can be sold on something other than price.

Arthur Murray Of Music

Fletcher Music Centers of Florida sell electronic home organs the way the Arthur Murray Dance Studios sell dance lessons. It's free group lessons with a party atmosphere. They create their own customers and their own market ... in a business that practically doesn't exist anymore.

For the smaller guitar stores that can't compete with large chains, vintage guitars could be the answer. It's selling high-ticket, high-profit instruments to a selected audience on a one-to-one basis. Music-Go-Round proved that used instruments can set it apart from other music stores.

When new competition rolls into town or your current competition tries to go after your customers, competing on price alone doesn't always work. It might be time to start thinking about sneaking up on them instead of hitting them head-on. Try a few different tactics. The "out-club" instead of "outdiscount" approach could work.

By the way - I'll be doing a program on this subject at the Winter NAMM show in February. It is currently scheduled for Saturday and will be run twice. Check the directory for times and place. We'll also be giving away some of our books at the session. Mark it on your calendar. See you in L.A.!

Bob Popyk is the publisher of Creative Selling, a monthly newsletter on sales and marketing strategies. His sales meetings and seminars are presented internationally to major companies and industries. For a free sample of his newsletter, call [phone], write to: Bentley-Hall, Inc., 120 Walton Street, Suite 201, Syracuse, New York 13202, or visit his Web site at http://www.creativeselling.com.