The best way to kill your competition is to humanize them, friend them, and mentor them. They will realize, rather quickly, that they just can’t keep up with your awesomeness.
Go ahead. Extend an authentic olive branch. Your competition will either step up or move on — and most likely, they will go away. Who wants to compete against your brilliance and compassion?
When you demonize your competition, you bring out the worst in yourself — and you look like a chump.
Hands down, chumps always lose.
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Why don’t more people get this? It’s simple, it’s true, it’s easy to execute and it works. I have always subscribed to this plan for my business and it’s never failed me. Get close to your competition, offer to help them, let them know how they can help you. It’s like magic.
Thanks Laurie. Great post as usual.
So true
The thing that blocks us from “being the better guy” and extending an olive branch we fall into that prisoners dilema.
If I show weakness to my competition they will see me as weak and not fear my presence. My company is so powerful and the center of the universe (in my head) so it must be the all powerful fist of the industry.
We have a fear that if we extend an olive branch we look weak and the competition will laugh at us. Human nature is a wacky thing.
I agree by humanizeing the competition we must also be humans ourselves and admit that we are not He-Man Master of the Universe, battleing Skeletor for THE POWER!!
Dude, good advice in general, but there is one exception: when your competition is crazy. It is a rare exception, to be sure, but when dealing with crazy you have to throw all logic out the window. Example: Hitler. Peaceful negotiation and appeasement didn’t really work, ‘cuz dude was nuts. The same may hold true for certain people in the biz world.
Don’t forget the power of stupid people that thinl they are smart.
Nothing derails progress quite like of of these.
There are some exceptions to every logical argument
Democrats vs. Republicans
Liberals vs. Conservatives
Christians vs. Lions
Rush Limbaugh vs. common sense
Ali vs. Frazier
Paula Abdul vs. Kara DioGuardi
Batman vs. The Joker
There are some exceptions to every logical argument
@Michael, good point, but I find exceptions to your exception. For the following logical agruments there are no exceptions:
Every woman that would not date me, was at the time possessed by the devil.
Cleveland is the most kick @ss city in the U.S.
Metallica is the greatest metal band of all time(even ecliping my psuedo-garage Wii Rock Band band – Skadoosh).
All three singularly irrefutable.
This is awesome advice – and something I always do. When you are on good terms with someone, they tend not to f*ck you over.
@Paul Thanks.
@Jennifer Thanks x2.
@Michael I think HeMan looked stupid in his thong. Put on a pair of pants, dude, and I’ll take you seriously!
@HRPuf Hitler is always the example that breaks the rule. I remember this conversation with my brother. Me: “My teacher is the worst person in the world.” Brother: “You know who’s worse? Hitler.” Fine, you win. Hitler is worse than my teacher.
@George I hate stupid people who think they are your competition. Sheesh. Those people deserve pity and redirection.
@HRPuf You have a Wii band?
@GenX Exactly. It’s tough to stab someone in the back when you’re having a face-to-face conversation with them!
@laurie it totally rocks. I’m the fake guitar player, my stage name is Sandwich. We’ve got a great singer and drummer. We drink and practice way more than we should. Skadoosh rocks!
And HRPufnstuf illustrates Godwin’s Law on the fourth comment. Discussion = over.
@HRPuf I wanna play bass and I’ll be Bacon.
@Tim Amen. Good observation!
@hrpuf your logic is irrefutable. I disagree wholeheartedly
@laurie he-man rocked, but he had a creepy costume. It was still better than Lion-o tho
@Tim Does Godwin really exist?
@Laurie – You’re in!
Unfortunately, it’s not tough to stab someone in the back when you’re having a face-to-face conversation with them! See puf’s comment on “crazy.”