Saturday, December 21, 2013

The Competition- Friends or Foes?

Are There Window Cleaning 'Turf Wars' in Scranton, PA

Losing Accounts Happens

Very few people involved in a service or sales business enjoy the luxury of having no competition.
For those who may have cruised through the years with very little competition, they'll likely find out over time that someone is catching enough attention from their target market to make them take notice as well. Yes, all of us who are professional window cleaners, or professional anything for that matter, can get protective of what currently belongs to us. I'm not aware of any turf wars in Scranton, at least not in the service field! For sure, it's never pleasant to find out you lost an account to another company. Does that make the window cleaners who are now servicing what you had 'thieves'? Did they steal your account? Some may see it that way, but since we likely don't have a legal right to the account, we either lost it because of a real or perceived deficiency from the standpoint of the business manager or because our competition convinced the manager to make the switch. So does that make this company a foe?

Knowing Your Competition Is Not a Bad Thing

How does one deal with the potential of losing market share or having to work harder to maintain the desired customer base? 
There are many different ways business owners react to competition. They range from hatred and outright hostility to striking up a conversation, talking shop, passing along leads, and networking. It all comes down to how you view others who offer the same or similar goods/services as you. Do they pose a true threat to your livelihood or just to your ego? Or are they potential peers that you can coexist with and develop a mutually beneficial relationship with? I've been the recipient of treatment toward both ends of the spectrum. I've found that worrying and stewing over ill-treatment or someone 'invading your turf' (as if anyone owns the 'turf') is a waste of time and energy.
Here's my take. I do agree that there is plenty of work to go around for everyone. In my main service offering, which is window cleaning in Carbondale, Scranton, and surrounding towns, there are different types of customers. I'd like good ones of course, but I realize that I need to focus on how good I am or how good I present myself to those that I'd like to have as customers. Oft-quoted Jim Rohn said "Don't wish it were easier. Wish you were better." I try not to worry about who has what account and how much he's charging. I endeavor to move forward and stay ahead of the curve. I like to be real good at a few things: window cleaning, power washing, and roof cleaning,  and leverage my time in one location by offering multiple services. And as long as I believe that other companies are running things legally and offer a good level of customer service and also don't want to cut me down, I'm fine with being friends and networking where it is plausible. 

At Dan Wagner Window Cleaning, we keep on keeping on. And we get along with just about all of our colleagues! 
Call or text us at 5706300326  You'll like what you see!