If you are positioning yourself as a market leader then you are bound to hit some negative people along the way. Whether you are the brazen “newcomer” or the entrenched expert, there will be someone, sooner or later, who is going to disagree with you. So what do you do?
Be Professional, Always
One thing that you will have over 99% of the people in your niche is that you are deliberately there. Most people in your niche are just following their passion, enjoying the attention and rewards that come with being a market leader and have not cultivated any kind of professional demeanor to go with that position. When someone seems to be cutting in on their action, they can get quite nasty. Alas, the least professional will get the most nasty.
Currently, in one of the niches I move in, there is discord between one person who has created and run a forum for the last 18 months, and a member of that forum that was banned for giving her professional opinion (she has years of professional working experience and is studying to formalise that experience into recognised qualifications). She has now set up her own forum focusing on that part of the niche and is moving to become a market leader, after all she does do this for a living outside of the niche.
Rather than get snotty in her new forum and cause issues with the old, she posted her forum philosophy and went on her way building her own community. Professional.
This seems to have incensed the guy who runs the other forum and he has posted his own “philosophy” that is neither professional or pleasant. Guess whose community is going to benefit most from which leader – a community that is lead by a true professional in the field who is not engaging in mud slinging and is sharing her knowledge, or a community that is led by a leader interested in only keeping this part of the niche “for himself”.
Because you know why you are there as a market leader, have a plan and know where you are going, then you will be able to keep your cool if a situation like this crops up for you. Have an opinion, maintain that opinion if it is something you feel strongly about, but allow others to have theirs too. Do not engage in mud-slinging, rather put on the pretend business suit and turn your attention to what is best for your followers, niche and your business (and if you are doing the right thing whatever you do will benefit them all).
Niches Are Not Ladders
If you are moving to become a leader then you really need to grasp that a niche is not a narrow ladder that only one person can be at the top of. There is not one niche where there is a single “leader” in that field – not one – none. Sooner or later there will be someone that comes along that is just as passionate, or focussed on a slightly different part of that market, and they create their own following. You don’t need to “bump” someone off the ladder, you just need to keep moving forward and up.
If you think there is only one spot on the top then you will be focussed on the people that are already there, and not on the community that you are building. Remember you are a professional, not a prize fighter.
One of the quickest ways to expand your following is to hook up with someone else in your niche that has a following. I talked about the folly of that first forum owner ignoring the business opportunity of working with me in a previous post . Combine my list with his list and there would have been a larger JV playing field and we both would have profited. No matter, I shall work with the new forum to help build and expand so I can JV there. I don’t believe there is only one place at the top, and neither does the other forum owner. We are in it for the betterment of people like us, not to make sure we are the ONLY ones to profit from our knowledge.
Thanks to Kevin Steele for the picture
Planned and executed my exit from the corporate world. Walked away with a 6 figure payment to boot.
I completely agree with you Allison, it’s better to regard the competition as friends than enemies – the more the merrier I say!
Jorgen @ Personal Branding´s last [type] ..Why You Should Rearrange Your LinkedIn Profile Sections
I agree with you! Competition is a major source of idea to improve your website. Analyze competitors, check their link, find what are their strategy should be a good source to find some idea and opportunities.
Benjamin @ Small business´s last [type] ..Can You Afford NOT to Innovate?
You have great insight on this subject. Thanks to you I now think about niche marketing in a whole new way.
Good post! I haven’t too many knockers (yet) but I have had a few people who unsubscribed to my mailing list, saying that the techniques I’m teaching are too simple for them (they are aimed at a beginners level). I have invited them to share their work on the site, providing me with great content. All happy in the end.
Michelle´s last [type] ..Mixed Media Art Found Objects
The interesting thing to me is that some competition seem to be so……….that guy. They could be friends and they could be places you guestpost and more. The thing is they stand for nothing. There are some people within a niche I follow closely and they seem to be nothing more than “look how I can make money” and follow me. Very self-centered. They give me nothing to align myself with at all.
So I see them as competition in the sense that I should be able to grow to where they are in time because it’s a numbers game. The tipping point will be the meaning behind everything I do. I do love finding competition that is aligned for the same purpose as me though. That is the amazing competition to me. The real competition to help me rise above and crush it.
Scott Webb @ Online Small Business´s last [type] ..Business Secret 1- The Future of Your Business Depends on It
Great advice Alison!
Geez even the big powerful Hollywood movies companies JV or “partner up” when it comes to launching one of their new films, usually with a fast food company although Iron Man 2 I saw soda, cell phones and car companies Jving with them
It’s hard to find a good niche today, competition is growing and getting better, but there is always a way if you’re persistent and patient. In the end you will succeed, after all will be easier.
Interesting facts´s last [type] ..Oldest currency bills known to have existed
I’m definitely liking this advice. Like you said – don’t consider niches as a narrow ladder where there’s only one market leader leading the way, not leaving room for anyone else. I’ve been in many corporate settings where the market “leader” is actually a group of firms competing for the same niche. As the economic environment always changing, competition is one of the best profit drivers your business can get. In other words, businesses nowadays need to thrive on the volatility of the business landscape rather than continue to enjoy the (temporary) sustainability.
Superiority always exist in business world. I agree that leaders always come to the point of hitting someone along the road to success. One just have to think professionally to avoid being hurt.
You are on point with this. You need to act professionally if you want to be taken seriously. the other thing you need to think about; in this business you don’t want to burn bridges you never know who may need later or who you could help as well.
cam@ coupons for toys´s last [type] ..Guitar Straps – PoliceLine and Skull Valley – 2-Pack
First – nice pic !!
Second and the main one: thank you for really (!) interesting post.
Rather than get snotty in her new forum and cause issues with the old, she posted her forum philosophy and went on her way building her own community. Professional (c) <– the most widespread mistake of so-called "market leaders" is to spend a lot of time for "killing" competitors, "grey markering" and some other stupid things ..
Spend your time for being BEST, to establish real competitor advantage.
Top 5 posts !
Great!