It seems when the word competition is brought up, the first thought tied to that word is “threat”. It’s a threat to your employees, a threat to your lawn care business, and a threat to your livelihood. But hasn’t it also been said that healthy competition can be a good thing?
Think back to your peewee football team. By competing against other teams, your team eventually got better right? They learned what they needed to work on and also learned some new plays to help them against other competitors.
The same can be true for your lawn care business, although instead of getting juice boxes after a hard game, you get to crack open a beer. Here are two reasons (and major at that) why respecting and even befriending your competition can be good for everyone involved:
Building Customer Base/Better Customer Service – It may seem conflicting to say that by collaborating with your competition you will build your business’ customer base, but it is true.
When a customer asks you if you provide a service your company doesn’t the best answer you can give them is “No, that isn’t what we are well experienced in, but I can definitely refer you to a great company I always recommend.” This is great response for two reasons.
One, you helped out your competitor by referring a prospective customer to them. You can call them up and tell them you just referred a customer to them and to treat them fairly. The competitor will almost always attempt to return the favor sometime in the future. They may have the exact same case and need to refer one of their customers to you for services they are not skilled in.
Secondly, your customers will appreciate the great customer service they received from you. Sure you could rent a power washer and attempt to do the service they asked about, but why would you give them subpar service? I know I always respect when my mechanic, plumber, or electrician tells me they simply don’t have the required skills to perform a service but refer me to someone they trust. It is always better to have the job done correctly the first time and is a great way to build customer loyalty.
When you stop worrying about every dime that can be made and focus on doing good work, you will see your entire business improve.
Helpful in a Bind – Have you ever had a truck break down? Ever had a piece of equipment just stop working halfway through a job? Ever had half your guys call in sick on the absolute busiest day of your entire business career?
Competitors are great in these situations. If you can build a relationship with your competition that is based on respect and loyalty, they can come through in a bind. I have heard of many of our field service business customers reaching out to their competitors when they were in desperate need and the competitors coming through, no questions asked.
We all get into rough situations every now and then, and so by giving out good, you will also get good in return. I can’t think of many in the green industry business that wouldn’t return a favor when one is handed to them.
There is enough work to go around for everyone. Instead of burning bridges by holding a grudge against your competition simply because they work in your area and perform similar services, work to build relationships with them and network. I can’t tell you the number of times I have needed to reach out to peers within my industry because I was simply stuck on a problem there seemed to be no solution to. Many were more than willing to sit down with me and discuss a solution, and I have done the same for many of them. Bottom line: befriend your competition. It can benefit you in more ways than one.
Curious right now what your peers are saying about their business, the industry, and the future? Check out our 2013 Green Industry Benchmark Report today to learn where you stand among the industry standards.