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It's Sue.
Speaker:And thanks for joining me for tips and talk day.
Speaker:These are bite-sized topics that I pull from community questions and
Speaker:things that I'm observing in the world of handmade small business.
Speaker:If you'd like to submit a topic,
Speaker:DME, over on Instagram at gift biz,
Speaker:unwrapped competition is moving in now,
Speaker:what do you do?
Speaker:I was inspired with talking about this because Wendy in gift
Speaker:biz breeze,
Speaker:which is my private Facebook group,
Speaker:where we all get together as gifters bakers,
Speaker:crafters makers talk about business things.
Speaker:If you're not there and you want to join us,
Speaker:feel free to do so.
Speaker:We'd love to have you there.
Speaker:She brought up a point of concern this week in that
Speaker:somebody who is in her industry is moving into the area.
Speaker:So she's going through all of these emotions,
Speaker:all of these thoughts that would be natural and typical.
Speaker:If you have a competitor who's moving in.
Speaker:And so what do you do about this?
Speaker:So Wendy,
Speaker:although I'm going to be talking directly to you,
Speaker:I'm really talking to all of us because let's face it.
Speaker:No matter what you make,
Speaker:there will be people who make a similar thing.
Speaker:So you would call them a competitor.
Speaker:But what happens if they come right into your area,
Speaker:you feel like your battling for the local attention.
Speaker:And not only that,
Speaker:there's a little extra layer that Wendy talks about here in
Speaker:that all the profits of sales go to a charity.
Speaker:So she's feeling already like,
Speaker:oh my gosh,
Speaker:this company could potentially be so much better than me.
Speaker:Cause that's the automatic place that we jumped to,
Speaker:right? Competitor comes in there better.
Speaker:Why do we do that to ourselves?
Speaker:I'm not exactly sure,
Speaker:but let's talk through what to do about this.
Speaker:Not only when you're facing a situation,
Speaker:but then in the future so that these situations don't feel
Speaker:so insurmountable.
Speaker:The first thing to do is take a deep breath and
Speaker:try and get your emotions in check because that's the automatic
Speaker:default, the anxiety,
Speaker:the racing heart.
Speaker:When you find this out,
Speaker:the gasp in your throat,
Speaker:like, oh my gosh,
Speaker:how am I going to compete?
Speaker:So the first thing is getting control of your emotions and
Speaker:just get yourself in check and say,
Speaker:okay, this is a situation now what I'm going to do
Speaker:about it.
Speaker:So that's the very first thing.
Speaker:Second thing is,
Speaker:is to go on a path of discovery.
Speaker:You know,
Speaker:how they always talk when there's a court case coming up
Speaker:that there's time for exploration and discovery before a case even
Speaker:starts, this is what you will want to do.
Speaker:Find out more about who's coming into the area.
Speaker:So you really understand truly what's happening.
Speaker:Not what your mind is telling you about that that person
Speaker:is going to be so much better,
Speaker:but uncover what's happening.
Speaker:That means who are the owners?
Speaker:Have they been making this product before?
Speaker:Or are they brand new?
Speaker:What is this?
Speaker:Cause I was just telling you that Wendy's very,
Speaker:very concerned about the fact that the profits are going to
Speaker:go to a local charity.
Speaker:So what is the cause?
Speaker:Is it a time bound type of a cause?
Speaker:Or is it an ongoing cause then look at the product.
Speaker:How is the product similar,
Speaker:different, maybe attracts a different audience than your product does all
Speaker:that type of thing.
Speaker:So what can you find out about them?
Speaker:And then also price.
Speaker:Now none of this I might say is for you to
Speaker:discover all of this so that you can match it.
Speaker:Absolutely never do that.
Speaker:That's the wrong move.
Speaker:Don't totally readjust your whole company to match a competitor and
Speaker:be lower priced,
Speaker:also doing a charity to match what they're doing.
Speaker:There's a saying that is Sally Hogshead.
Speaker:Different is better than better as a business owner.
Speaker:You're much stronger if your product and your company is different,
Speaker:not better than another person's company.
Speaker:Also experience you have personality in terms of how you show
Speaker:up on mine,
Speaker:all of that.
Speaker:You want to be different.
Speaker:You never want to try and match an absolutely not undercut
Speaker:price. And I want you to think about this as a
Speaker:big puzzle.
Speaker:It's a game and come into it strategically.
Speaker:How am I going to put this puzzle together?
Speaker:And then what is the picture going to look like at
Speaker:the end?
Speaker:So you uncover all this information about owner's experience,
Speaker:the product,
Speaker:the price,
Speaker:the charity,
Speaker:how their market getting to understand and put together the pieces
Speaker:of the puzzle of your competitor.
Speaker:So you have a realistic view,
Speaker:not this emotional view that they're going to be better than
Speaker:you. And then what you want to do is determine where
Speaker:things are different,
Speaker:right? Cause different,
Speaker:better than better,
Speaker:and get really solid in what you offer.
Speaker:Where are some differences?
Speaker:Do your bath and body products tend to be used more
Speaker:by a certain area of the population than others.
Speaker:Are they more for moms with babies?
Speaker:Are they more for people who live in a certain area
Speaker:of the country where their skin needs to be pampered in
Speaker:a different way?
Speaker:You know,
Speaker:maybe your audiences are already a little different.
Speaker:Do you use different products?
Speaker:Okay. So maybe your products are coconut oil based and theirs
Speaker:are different.
Speaker:I don't know all the ingredients of bath and body.
Speaker:So I can't go into that.
Speaker:And then what you want to do is call out those
Speaker:differences and those strengths and be known for the things that
Speaker:you do.
Speaker:And you know what I'm going to say to you too.
Speaker:It's okay.
Speaker:If you're higher priced,
Speaker:you don't have to call out the fact that you're higher
Speaker:priced, but call out the quality and what your product provides
Speaker:that is different than other people in the market.
Speaker:This is the approach to making sure that people know you.
Speaker:I know your business.
Speaker:I'll also say,
Speaker:and I think you'll understand this.
Speaker:When I say it,
Speaker:having a competitor come in your market can actually call additional
Speaker:attention to your whole industry.
Speaker:You know,
Speaker:social media advertising.
Speaker:If they have a brick and mortar shop,
Speaker:any of that,
Speaker:that's calling attention to your history and to those products.
Speaker:And you can play on that as well.
Speaker:Now here is what's going on.
Speaker:Oh, for sure.
Speaker:Absolutely. For sure.
Speaker:And it's natural.
Speaker:So expect it.
Speaker:When a competitor comes into the market,
Speaker:your customers are going to try it out.
Speaker:If you have people who have been at your craft show
Speaker:for a long time,
Speaker:they're going to walk by that other booth.
Speaker:And there will be a portion who will be tempted and
Speaker:interested in trying out another,
Speaker:the product it's okay.
Speaker:It's all right.
Speaker:It's natural.
Speaker:It's going to happen.
Speaker:This is when all of the systems that you've put in
Speaker:place and the personality I park on this hallway.
Speaker:It's time that you've been sharing who you are.
Speaker:You are what your business stands for.
Speaker:Why you started that whole deep,
Speaker:personal connection where people really attach to you.
Speaker:This is,
Speaker:is why that's so important.
Speaker:Because even if they try someone else,
Speaker:they're going to come back to you.
Speaker:I love bath and body products.
Speaker:A lot of you guys know that I am a supporter
Speaker:of Chino with Lula's bath and bombs.
Speaker:Her body scrubs are to die for.
Speaker:Does that mean that I don't use any other body scrubs
Speaker:ever? No.
Speaker:I mean,
Speaker:I use lots of body scrubs.
Speaker:I love it.
Speaker:That whole product.
Speaker:I don't always wear the same earrings.
Speaker:I don't always even wear the same one makeup line for
Speaker:that matter.
Speaker:I like to try things new.
Speaker:And then ultimately I kind of go back to what I
Speaker:liked the best.
Speaker:So don't worry about that.
Speaker:But the point is developing this deep connection and deep relationship.
Speaker:That's going to keep people with you then finally,
Speaker:and I've already been talking about this a little bit already.
Speaker:This is the reason why I'm going not.
Speaker:When all of a sudden there's a competitor in your market,
Speaker:do you start this?
Speaker:You want to start this.
Speaker:If you haven't already today getting your audience,
Speaker:the followers who support your business,
Speaker:people who are attracted to you because they're finding you with
Speaker:all the different things you're doing along the social media craft
Speaker:shows, farmer's markets,
Speaker:networking, all of that.
Speaker:Once you've gotten them into your sphere,
Speaker:you need to personalize it for them.
Speaker:This is something different for us as small businesses versus the
Speaker:big brands.
Speaker:The big brands are spending millions of dollars to get their
Speaker:name out there.
Speaker:And the connection is with the brand,
Speaker:the name as a small business,
Speaker:I will suggest that our connection is by us as human
Speaker:beings. One-on-one small businesses relationships.
Speaker:So how do you do that?
Speaker:You tell your story,
Speaker:you talk about how you've gotten into the business.
Speaker:Why making,
Speaker:what you make is so dear to you,
Speaker:what are the benefits of using your product?
Speaker:Why does your or product stand out and is superior for
Speaker:the qualities of what you put in,
Speaker:whether it's the ingredients,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:there's all different types of things that add value to your
Speaker:product, right?
Speaker:And then the other thing that nobody else can duplicate,
Speaker:not one single person is you your personality by going online,
Speaker:being at shows where you're showing up as you in front
Speaker:of your audience and your customers,
Speaker:this is the best and biggest way you can differentiate yourself
Speaker:because nobody else can be the authentic you and stay with
Speaker:me as we go forward with my podcasts,
Speaker:because I have a really exciting episode,
Speaker:I actually was just editing it this morning,
Speaker:running through the final edit that will help you with being
Speaker:confident with the real authentic you.
Speaker:And it's not what you've heard before.
Speaker:It's a whole brand new thing.
Speaker:So I'm excited to tell you about that.
Speaker:I'd like to end here with one other point,
Speaker:and that is the thinking that there is abundance out there
Speaker:in the world.
Speaker:Think of how many people Wendy need bath and body products.
Speaker:You're not going to attract every single one of them,
Speaker:but are certainly enough people in the market.
Speaker:And in your communities online for you to be able to
Speaker:grow and support a stable business.
Speaker:It's not like if one person goes to their competitor,
Speaker:that's the point of focus for you right now that there's
Speaker:not another customer out there for you,
Speaker:or that you've lost that customer forever.
Speaker:They could never be yours.
Speaker:You both could have very solid businesses and not having one
Speaker:duplicate customer.
Speaker:So when you start to get into that mindset,
Speaker:everything feels like it starts to calm down.
Speaker:There is enough out there for all of us.
Speaker:So hopefully that gives you some peace.
Speaker:I want you Andy to go back right now and start
Speaker:putting that puzzle piece together.
Speaker:You're in discovery fact finding mode about who this is,
Speaker:who's coming in and to the market.
Speaker:You don't need to match what they're doing.
Speaker:You need to understand what they're doing,
Speaker:see how you are positioned differently.
Speaker:Talk to your strengths.
Speaker:Okay? When a competitor comes in,
Speaker:ruffles our feathers and makes us all anxious,
Speaker:and that heartbeat raises through the roof and you feel you're
Speaker:doomed. I mean,
Speaker:cause we get dramatic like that.
Speaker:Don't we,
Speaker:we need to just breathe and remember that it's up to
Speaker:us to do the right work.
Speaker:So we received the orders that we deserve.
Speaker:And by doing that regularly throughout our business,
Speaker:all the way along when a competitor comes in,
Speaker:it's not as jolting because you've been doing the right work
Speaker:all along.
Speaker:That's a wrap.
Speaker:I'm a get to the point kind of girl.
Speaker:And this is what you can expect from these quick midweek
Speaker:sessions. Now it's your turn go out and fulfill that dream
Speaker:of yours.
Speaker:Share your handmade products with us.
