In today’s co-operate world, each company or person has enemies. These enemies can also be called competitors. Our elders are to guide and protect us. But I always remember, they suggest we keep our enemies closer.

There are lots of things to learn from them too, especially in your industry. Each company or even your colleagues keep a secret watch on you. What do you do? How do you do? When do you do something? They have an eye on everything. But we need to take this positively. To take appraisals from everyone may not help you to grow. But at the same time, these competitors are here to show where you are going wrong.

“What breaks in a moment may take years to mend.”

So, here are the 10 things that your competitors can teach you.

1.  Service Strategies:

We all make mistakes, even our competitors. Customers are similar to god in Indian tradition, where providing them all types of services is our prime duty. Whenever we provide various services, we use different strategies. We can detect the failure of these strategies by the customer feedback form. Many a time among 100% only 40%-50% of the customers agree to fill the form.

Here we fail to know whether our strategies are working or not. At this time our competitors indirectly tell us where we are going wrong. They think they are demotivating us, but it’s upon us whether to change the strategy or fail to perform well. According to my mind, here our competitors teach us to take negative things positively.

2.  Reputation:

Your reputation matters a lot whether it be online or offline. If your competitor has a high post than your company, then it’s a great chance for you to learn from them. Keep a look at their online websites, how they handle their customers or how they reply to the customers in the comments. Here the comments are a replica of your company’s reputation. Here, competitors teach you how to handle your customers in critical situations.

3.  Local:

Isn’t it important to know the position of our company? Where do we provide our services? How do we provide them? What is our customer feedback about our services?

To know all these things we need to search our profile on Google. Our competitors will by default tell us, where we should have been providing our services. Maybe your company will have more scope in the local areas. Here, our competitors even direct us to the right place to provide our services.

4.  Social Media:

Does your business have a social media account? If no, then you are already behind! Make your social media account. Keep a check on another company’s social media account. How they keep a flow on their posts, whether they take quizzes or our industry updates. Keep a check on how they reply to their customers on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Quora. Have a special look at their LINKEDIN accounts.

You can also look after the number of followers and likes they have on their different social media sites. Follow their strategy of increasing likes and followers. This can help you to increase the goodwill of your company or business.

5.  Uniqueness: 

How unique you are? It is the most important thing that your competitor or enemy can teach you. You should always pay attention to how your company’s services can be different from your competitors. If there are a large number of similarities between them and your company, you need a change! Your companies name should a Brand itself. You should keep on updating your services as that compared to your competitors. This will help you to be UNIQUE.

6.  Avoid mistakes:

Everyone makes a mistake, not only you; but even your competitors make them. Once in a while, you should check your competitor’s history. That will tell you where they went wrong. Check out the old services that they had, and when did they close those services.  Due to that mistake, maybe they had to face a great loss.  By considering them you can avoid making those mistakes in your company.

7.  Website:

Do you have your business website?  A business website is as important as water to a fish. Check your layout of the website, compare it to your competitor’s website and you will understand the difference very well. Check out what they post? What do the customers like to read? Or even what they don’t like to read?  How to design your website in order to make it more informative for the visitors. Beyond the design, the content that you write can break or make your customer network. Compare your content with your competitor’s content, to understand where you are lacking. Here, is the important aspect to attract your customers is the website. Give maximum importance to how to write your website content.

8.  Investments:

Investments play a vital role, then may it be a financial investment, time investment, knowledge investment, skills, etc. It is a difficult job to determine where to invest how much and when. At this time, looking at the competitors can give you a great overview of which steps you should forward to attract customers. An entrepreneur or even an employee should know about time management very well. By your competitor’s very first report will help you to know where to engage our time specifically.

9.  Search:

Search yourself on Google and check out your position. After that search, your competitor on Google, check what their position is. If they are below them, then you need to change your SEO strategy. Keywords play an important role, may it be Google or even LinkedIn. Start applying your keywords, so that whenever visitors type a keyword your website is also shown-up there. Optimize your website. Check your competitor’s keywords, and apply them to your website.

10.  Learn from the competitor’s:

Keep learning from competitors, keep researching about them. Understand the difference between your and competitor’s position. Always find a way to how to be better! Each day. Find your key to success. Better do it than wish it done. Don’t take their prompts as a negative indicator, but change it into a positive fact. Be the change you wish to see in the world. And take your competitors as you well-wishers, those who are reminding you about your faults and mistakes.

 Destroy your enemy by making him your friend. Keep learning new things may it be by competitors as well, life is meant to learn. Be the positive change by looking at the negative comments. Better yourself before others do.