Crushing the competition

The myth in business is that for you to succeed, the other guy needs to fail miserably.  A very wise, wealthy and successful man once told me, "If you get every job you bid, you aren't charging enough."  There is a scarcity mentality that believes there are only so many pieces of the pie to go around, and so you best be cutthroat & ruthless to survive.  There are healthier ways of seeing the opportunities though.  

When we started our concrete pumping business, TCB Concrete Pumping Website we were one of only a few pumpers in the region, now there are several.  As each new pumper launched their business, we would hear the news from the grapevine and naturally wonder how it would effect our business.  In an effort to generate more business, one of the new pumpers even went around telling people we at TCB had retired and were no longer pumping -- those underhanded methods are not only deceptive and unethical, they are signs of desperation when you see the other guy as your competition.  

The reality is, the other company isn't the competition you face, you are your own competition.  Quit giving them free rent in your head and concentrate on what you can control; the other guy is the least of your concerns.  Surely you want your pricing to be attractive and acceptable and you are up against a market economy where people are free to spend their discretionary dollars where they choose.  But, the other company isn't the competition, even if the other guy goes under, it doesn't mean that you will magically manage your workload any better.  Ruining a rival will never guarantee your success.

How well you do your job, how well you keep your word, the integrity and honor and virtue you have are what matters more than the prices of the other guy.  Are you doing your best work or are you just doing enough to get by?  We've had customers come back after trying a the new guy who set their prices lower in an effort to steal away customers, and when the new guy lacked the experience and the same quality of service we provided, the customers come back.  

Sidenote: Not all contractors are worth having as a customer.  If they are skinflints who want to hold their payouts for months on end, or you have to chase them down to get a check, and they are difficult to work with, it's not worth it.  

The fact is, if the other guy is a better pumper, he deserves the work, he's earned it.  The greatest threat you face is your performance, not the other guy's prices.

It really comes down to you and your work ethic, can you show up early and work late, is your standard of quality topnotch, will you put in the effort, are you dedicated to your craft, are you doing your best or are you making it easy for your "competition" to make you look bad?  

Instead of worrying about the other guy, welcome their contributions to the industry overall, find ways to cooperate, and most of all seek to improve your own reputation.  You need to up your game and be the best you can be, that is why you are your own competition.