Inspired by the Competition

Did someone say road trip? Take a mini work vacation! Visiting other personal service businesses is a great learning experience. Not only can you get some inspiration, but great insight on what the competition is doing. 

Learn answers to things like:

• What is your competitive advantage?
• Where does your business shine where others are lackluster? And then amp up that shining star!
• How can you better find and attract customers?
• Is your pricing still in the right range? If you’re a boutique business, then make sure your prices reflect that compared to your competition.
• What is the competition doing? Do they have a fun, new class that you could add your own creative twist to and implement at your business?

To prep, do a little investigation to find interesting businesses in a nearby city. The businesses don't even have to be similar to yours—feel free to break out of the box of your own industry. You can learn a lot from other markets, audiences, and verticals too.

Once you have a few interesting businesses in mind, sign up for some classes, gas up the car and go!

When you’re there, pay attention to…

• How you’re greeted when you walk in
• The quality of the service
• What the facility is like—atmosphere, setup, etc.
• The teaching methods
• Administrative techniques—checking people in, selling passes, etc.
• Ask other patrons why they chose to take classes there instead of the other place in town.

No matter how long you’ve been in business, you can always learn something different, new, and exciting to bring your business to the next level. 

Ready to dig in a bit deeper? Discover "10 things you can learn by watching your competitors" in our blog.

Tweet us at @GoPike13 during your road trip! We’d love to hear and see all the cool things you find out there in the world.

 via photopin (license)

Originally posted June 2nd, 2015