Your competition is talking to your Customers, do you know what they are saying?

Your competition is talking to your Customers, do you know what they are saying?

I’ll bet you do because it is probably everything that your company has done “wrong.” If your competition is looking for an edge, they may dig up everything they can about your business practices. They may ask one customer, “What has your current supplier done that you would like to change?” and then tell another customer that their company has your company beat on that particular issue.

There are so many negative statements that your competition may say about your business in comparison to theirs: • Your prices are too high. • Your product/service quality is poor. • Your product/service offering is limited. • Your product/service offering uses old technology. • No one ever answers the phone. • You charge too much for shipping. • Your lead times are too long. • Your ordering process is too complicated. • Your sales people aren’t knowledgeable. • Your customer service people aren’t helpful. • Your accounts receivable people are rude. • After the sale there is no customer support. • Your ecommerce site is hard to use. • No one is ever available to help. • Your business isn’t concerned about the environment. • Your business is so big that you don’t care about your customers. • Your business is too small to effectively support your customers.

When the representatives of your business are in contact with customers, customers may be looking for evidence of what they have heard. It is important that the people who represent your business are prepared to answer these concerns in a professional manner. Sometimes perceptions are hard to change and it may take time to prove to a customer that these negative statements are not true.

So what is the solution? Don’t give your competitors anything negative to talk about. Know what your customers expect, know what the competition is doing, solve customer problems, communicate effectively, train your people, stay on top of product quality and market needs, develop a human resources plan to meet the needs of your business, ensure that your systems and technology enhance your business processes, and put the customer first in your business.