Want to Beat Competitors? Get Closer to Them.
Here’s a little story about beating the competition.
My family loves Toy Story Mania. If you haven’t been, it’s an attraction at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, where you “zip through an exhilarating 4D shootin’ game starring Toy Story characters—and blast away.’
And it is, in fact, a blast.
Especially because I always win.
During the ride, 4 players go head-to-head. It’s perfect for our family: my wife (Allyson), my son (Max), my daughter (Scarlett), and me.
We’ve been so many times that we even have assigned seats. Allyson and Max sit together; Scarlett and I sit behind them on the other side of the cart.
And I’ve watched my kids get better over the years, especially Max. But he’s never gotten good enough to beat me.
Until our most recent trip, where his score finally topped mine.
Want to guess what he did differently?
He changed up the seating arrangement.
Before we got on the ride, Max declared that he was sitting next to me.
Then he watched exactly what I did.
Figured out how to do it himself.
And (I hate to admit this) did it better (just as a reminder here, I was undefeated for 10 years+... ahem).
He beat the competition by observing them and learning from them.
See the parallel yet?
You can’t figure out how to beat your competitors in a vacuum. You have to get outside your own office, your own team, your own echo chamber.
Do the research. Call them up. Ask questions. Figure out what the competition is actually doing. Then, do it better.
That’s part of building a winning strategy to accelerate growth. A step you can’t afford to skip.
Max knocked me off my pedestal, and that stung a little. But I’m also extremely proud of my kid for figuring out how to compete.
And next time…I’m determined to take back the Toy Story Mania crown.
P.S. Need help with competitor research or building a winning strategy for your business? Reach out to see how we can help.
