Marketing a Computer Business by Encouraging Competition

Entrepreneurs will tell you—whether you’re marketing a computer business or anything else—a “golden business opportunity” without any competition is a highly suspect entity. That’s not to say that such opportunities are all worthless, as students of “pet rock” and similar successes will attest. It’s just that they often need a good, hard look to see whether the absence of any rival offerings is in fact because the idea itself is a dud.

Competition Allows Differentiation

Competition makes a market more credible to an entrepreneur. It also makes an offering more credible to a customer. When you have a competitor, you have the possibility to differentiate your offering—through skills, service, local service, a network of business contacts, or any other aspect that represents value in the eyes of the customer. But what happens if you don’t have a competitor?

What to Do if You Don’t Have Any Competitors

Find one. You don’t need to have a head-on competitor either. Another company that specializes in Macs where your focus is on Windows machines could be a good combination.

Multiply the Buzz

Two different companies marketing a computer business means twice the publicity, twice the talk, twice the buzz. Work the existence of competition into your “elevator pitch,” where in about 20 seconds you describe the essentials of your offering, the business benefit the customer can expect, and—of course—why you are positively differentiated from your competition.

How would you feel about a lot of competition—that there’s always room for one more? Or that it’s time to find another niche? Give us your feelings on the subject by adding a Comment in the space below.      

And to follow-through on the tips introduced in this short article, be sure to download your free copy of the special report on the Top 10 IT Marketing Strategies For Consistently Attracting New Business Clients to Your Small IT Business.   

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