A New Target For “Competition”

The Desert of Arizona
Sunny 82 Degrees 9:11 a.m.

I imagine my complete disinterest in competing with anyone for much of anything probably isn’t considered an indicator of future success.

You have billions? You work 2 minutes a week? Your car cost $400,000?

Whatever, I just don’t care. Good for you. I truly hope it floats your boat. Because if you’re doing it for any other reason, you’re wasting your life.

I know my approach doesn’t really fit in the alpha entrepreneur’s movie of leaving his competitors bruised and bloodied in his wake. But it’s the way I’m wired, so I have no plans on changing.

In the mainstream world, business is a whole lot like war. You compete to win.

Dominate. Conquer. Monopolize. Command. Crush. Beat.

Those are some pretty common ideas from today’s business world.

And those are a bunch of words I’m not interested in at all.

After all, how do you compete when you have nothing to prove?

I know there’s something better. There’s something that is NOT drawn from a deep-seated insecurity and need to be recognized as the victor.

Instead of competing against some other business, have you ever thought of turning your competitive nature onto the well-being of the client herself?

You don’t hear about that too often do you?

What about competing to do better for your clients today than you did yesterday? That really shifts your thinking.

Competing against an “opponent” creates a constricting/shrinking type of feeling. Someone wins, someone loses.

Competing for the improved well-being of your client carries with it an expansive/growth focused feeling. Everyone involved wins in some way.

Is it possible for both parties in a transaction to “win?” Hardcore negotiators would say that’s stupid to even consider. That it’s totally naive. That it’s looking at things through rose colored glasses. In business, someone wins and someone loses. Period.

Smart business people, on the other hand, would say you will never create strong and long lasting relationships by doing business any OTHER way than to make sure everyone wins.

So here’s a question:

Where does a client or customer go when they’re tired of working with someone who views business as a winner-take-all kind of game? Someone whose mindset naturally extends to ALSO treating clients like the enemy to be “conquered?”

Well, whatever that place is called is where I’ve pitched my tent. There’s plenty of room if you want to join me.