Well the presidential election is five days away and all of the advertising is rolling out for the national, state and local levels. You cannot avoid all of the negative advertising messages.
Over the past 10-plus years, political campaign messaging has focused on bashing the competitor. This disparaging can be done with fact – or not. That seems optional.
I hear so many people say they hate these ads and feel they are immature name calling. Then why do the politicians implement this strategy?
The answer is simple. They just want to win and they see this as a one-time opportunity. The winner will be in place for several years (depending on the position they are running for) and feel they will soften their messaging after they win. Obviously, a bit disingenuous. The loudest bully gets the message across best. Seems like a juvenile strategy, but billions of dollars are spent implementing it.
I do know that Karma is a bitch – and in real business we need not trash our competition to outperform them. Over time, all bad organizations are pushed into the spotlight of their community. Word soon spreads about errors made, bad claims service or poor financial management.
It is wise to understand your competitors’ strengths and weaknesses. But instead of worrying about your competition and things you cannot control, why not focus on your own business? Look internally: How can you be the best firm that you can be? It does not matter what your competition is doing; simply do it better. Focus instead on YOU, YOUR firm, and YOUR team, and do things the right way. Over time, this focus will allow you to compete with any size firm in the world. I believe this strategy would also serve our politicians well!
Invest in true, honest relationships with clients, vendors and communities. It is not necessary to trash the competition. It’s even wise to praise what the competitors do well – that’s is always highly respected by clients and decision makers. Over time, the bad firms will fail, good firms will be stable, and great firms will grow into new markets.
Think about your competition. There are no doubt some bad players in your market and I’m sure you have adequate proof to show anyone and everyone how damn bad they really are. But don’t fall prey to the trashing or speaking ill of your competition. I promise that, with time, these folks will fail, and you will continue to thrive in your current and future markets.
Good luck my smart, accomplished, motivated, and ethical friends. We’re a pretty small group. Seek out other like-minded businesses that hold these values. We’re out there, making ourselves better… without ever bashing our competition.