Competition is everywhere

Competition is everywhere. Even when we don’t take notice. Seth Godin’s post, “The ubiquity of competition,” illustrates the point that businesses must win their audience by offering a compelling reason to be chosen over competitors.

There are twenty towns you can choose for your family’s new home. One invests in its schools, has a focus on inquiry, AP courses and community, while the others are muddling through, arguing about their future. Which one commands a higher premium for its houses?

There are fifty people applying for a job. Forty nine have great credentials and beautifully standard layouts on their resumes. One resume was hand delivered to the CEO by his best friend, together with a glowing recommendation about a project the applicant did for the friend’s non-profit.  Who gets the interview?

So why choose Coca-cola and McDonald’s over Pepsi or Burger King? The customer knows what to expect when she buys a bottle of Coca-cola (happiness)! A child knows what he’s getting for the happy meal (the bliss that comes with the surprise toy). In a competitive market, winning businesses give their customers the compelling “why.”