INNERGISE!

It's almost that time again, when England take on Australia in the next Ashes series, and I cannot wait - days and days of some of the greatest cricket and loads of public "sledging"!

Having spent over eight years living in Australia, and living through a barrage of sporting abuse from Australian cricket fans over that time, there is nothing more satisfying than seeing the Aussies get beaten in any sport. In cricket ‘sledging’ (having a pop at your opposition) is commonplace and often quite amusing. For example, Phil Tufnell was famously once told: “Tufnell – can I borrow your brain, I am building an idiot!”.

In business however, different rules apply. Great organisations, which have confidence in their ability and what they have to offer, always focus on the value they bring, their USP’s and the difference they or their products can make. They never feel the need to focus on the competition because to do so suggests that they don’t have enough confidence or belief in what they have to offer. How much time do you think Dyson spent talking about Hoover when selling his first vacuum cleaner? My guess is none at all – he knew what he had to offer was fantastic.

If what you have to offer is not exciting or powerful enough to focus on 100% in your sales pitch, it might be worth revisiting what you do, the value you add and the benefits of you.

To me the rules of business are simple – play honestly and fairly, enjoy the game and win by be being better than anyone else in what you do, not by knocking them down. 

If you win that way, then you deserve to win. If, however, you feel that the only way you can win is by knocking your competition then clearly there is something amiss with your ability to win by your own merit.

I have had competitors in the past feel that they should talk about nothing else than how bad we were meant to be as opposed to what actually makes them any good.

Not only is it legally questionable (google “Ad hominem abuse” at your leisure), it doesn’t win business as customers are generally smart people who see through it. It is known as Tall Poppy Syndrome (look it up).

Businesses who practice it lose out:

• They actually devalue who they are and what they themselves are worth
• They sound desperate and almost paranoid about the strengths of their competitors.
• They often provide their competitor with a free bit of PR, as if they are so obsessed with their competitors, then they must be worth being obsessed about and therefore must be doing something good!
• They lose out on business they might have won (as they did with us!)
• They make their competition feel even better about themselves and flattered
• The customer has a less favourable perception of the ‘sledging’ customer.

Ultimately, competition in any market place is good and is what makes businesses grow, develop and transform into great organisations.

The Aussie’s will be back with force and the results of the last Ashes tests will see the Australian cricket team once again grow into a sporting powerhouse as they look to reinvent the way they do things in the face of competition from the England team in future tests.

Likewise in business to grow and succeed in any sales environment: know your value, believe in your offer and your quality and focus all your energies on making your customer know your business and what is great about you.