Before you condemn me and scoff at the idea of competition being a huge blessing; please note that I live and operate my small carpet cleaning business in a very rural area. I certainly don’t pretend to think that my specific circumstances are 100% applicable to all markets without exception. Also, I would like to add that if you subscribe and wholeheartedly believe something to the contrary then I would agree that you and your opinion are right for you. Beliefs are nothing more than thoughts that we have allowed to persist repeatedly within our minds. One of the most amazing and powerful things I’ve ever come to know is that we are easily able to create new, supportive, and more positive beliefs that have a HUGE impact on our results in life. So, I implore you to open your mind and consider a new perspective in regards to your “competition.”
“a rising tide lifts all the boats…”
That said, I have come to believe that “competition” is not to be feared, and instead should be embraced and praised. Truly I tell you there is no such thing as competition – for there are far more things that makes us unique and different than there are things that make us the same. Just because two seperate companies may offer the same exact same services at a very similar price does NOT mean they are even close to the same. The culture, talent, experience, attitude, and a multitude of others factors make each and every company VERY different from one another. So different, in fact, that there really is no such thing as “competition.” Apples to oranges. Our clients are certainly “our clients” in that we have gone way out of our way to establish, build, and maintain a relationship with them that keeps them loyal and happy. If they ever decide to hire a different carpet cleaning company (and many do) I am happy for them and excited no matter what their experience will be like.
Whatever you focus your attention on will increase; therefore if you fear, resent, condemn, or harbor any ill will whatever against another company you are assisting them in growing their company. In other words, would you rather spend your effort and time growing their company or yours? Thoughts are things; and the more positive thoughts and feelings you can produce and allow concerning your peers in the industry – the better! We have little to no control over most of what happens in life – the thoughts we allow within our minds are within our control and should be taken very seriously.
I’ve talked with scores of other owner/operator cleaners that proudly proclaim, “I will gladly help ANY other cleaner out there, and share my experience – so long as they aren’t in MY territory!” What?! I am not afraid of other companies in our area. I am friends with all of them, I go way out of my way to become friends with all of them. I send them referrals. I praise their work, their brand, their technicians, and their results. I shine unto them with positivity as I would hope they will shine unto our company. To me, anything less is only hurting us. We will, and have reaped the seeds we sow. We are the ones who suffer when we can’t be positive, friendly and helpful with all the other companies in our region. There is no exception. There is never a circumstance or a situation whereby anyone could convince me not to be supportive and positive when thinking about or talking about “competition” within our industry.
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Fierce competition within our industry is a wonderful thing – it forces the best of what we have to offer. It keeps us on our toes. When there is no competition – complacency sets in. There are no improvements to the way we work or the results we achieve without competition. When we are met with competitive forces within our area we dig deep, we work harder, we stay more focused! We don’t let up! We find the will to win, achieve, and rise above. I welcome competition, the more the merrier! Bring it on! There will always be someone better at cleaning carpets than me. Someone with a better attitude, a better price, a better service – I am a work in progress. I will never “arrive,” I am committed to always learning and growing. My goal is to become a little bit better today than I was yesterday, learn something new everyday, improve upon my attitude everyday. There is no such thing as competition, we have peers in the industry – we can and should all be working together. We are all served by lifting each other up, praising one another, and helping our industry create a better image to the public every single day.