One of the pieces of marketing advice I’ve heard over the years is, “You need a comparison page.” If you’ve spent any time online, you’ve probably seen them. They compare one product to another with a nice little chart showing check marks, feature lists, and reasons why one company is supposedly better than the other.
On the surface, it sounds like a smart strategy. Give people the facts and let them make an informed decision. The problem is, I don’t believe that’s what most comparison pages actually accomplish.
Years ago, when I launched AskDatabase.com, which later became Yurpl.com, I heard that advice more than once. Several people suggested that I create a page comparing our service to SurveyMonkey. Their reasoning was simple. SurveyMonkey was well known, so if I could show how our service stacked up against theirs, customers would naturally see our advantages and choose us instead.
My response was always the same. Why would I spend my marketing dollars advertising someone else’s business?
Think about that for a moment. A visitor lands on your website because they’re looking for a solution. Maybe they found you through Google. Maybe someone recommended you. Maybe they clicked on one of your ads. At that moment, your prospect is focused on you. Then, right in the middle of your sales process, you introduce another company they may not have even been considering.
That has never made much sense to me. Instead of focusing on the value you bring to the table, you’ve just reminded your visitor that there are other options. Human nature kicks in. “Well, maybe I should go look at them too before I make my decision.” Congratulations. You just paid to send someone to your competitor.
Now, before someone writes me an email, let me be clear. I’m not saying you should ignore your competition. Every business owner should know who their competitors are. You should understand what they do well, where they fall short, how they position themselves, and what customers like or dislike about them. That’s just good business. There’s a big difference, however, between studying your competition and building your marketing around them.
The truth is, AskDatabase wasn’t trying to become SurveyMonkey. We weren’t trying to copy SurveyMonkey. In fact, we weren’t even trying to solve the exact same problems. While there was some overlap, our vision for the platform was different. We were building something for a different audience with different goals. Comparing ourselves to another company would have forced us into someone else’s category instead of defining our own.
I think that’s a mistake many businesses make today. They become so focused on what everyone else is doing that they forget to ask a much more important question: “What makes us valuable to our customers?” That’s the question every business owner should answer first.
Customers aren’t looking for another feature comparison. They’re looking for someone who understands their problem and offers a solution they can trust. If your website spends more time talking about someone else than explaining how you help your customers, your priorities may be backwards.
We’ve seen comparison marketing for decades: Coke and Pepsi, McDonald’s and Burger King, Ford and Chevrolet, Apple and Microsoft. Those rivalries make for entertaining commercials and good headlines, but it’s interesting to look at what actually built those companies into household names.
Coca-Cola didn’t become one of the most recognized brands in the world because they spent every advertisement talking about Pepsi. They built a brand around consistency, happiness, family, tradition, and being part of life’s memorable moments. McDonald’s became the world’s largest restaurant chain because they focused on delivering a predictable experience, fast service, and convenience. Apple didn’t become one of the most valuable companies in history by constantly telling people why Microsoft was wrong. They spent years building products that people enjoyed using and creating an experience customers wanted to be part of.
That’s the common thread.
The companies that become market leaders usually spend far more time strengthening their own brand than criticizing someone else’s. They tell customers what they stand for. They communicate their value. They deliver on their promises. Over time, that consistency builds trust, and trust builds loyal customers. I’ve always believed that’s a much healthier approach for small businesses as well.
One of the greatest advantages a small business has is the ability to build personal relationships. You can answer questions. You
can provide better service. You can adapt more quickly than larger companies. Those are strengths worth talking about. Spending your time trying to convince someone that another company isn’t as good simply isn’t the best use of your marketing.
There’s another issue that often gets overlooked. Your competitors change. They add new features. They redesign their websites. They lower prices. They introduce new products. If your sales message depends on what another company is doing, you’re constantly chasing a moving target. That’s a race you’ll never win because you’re allowing someone else to dictate your marketing. I’d rather spend that same time improving my own business.
One principle I’ve believed for many years is that customers don’t usually buy the cheapest product. They buy the product they believe offers the greatest value. Those two things are not the same. Price is only one part of the buying decision. Value includes trust, quality, service, reliability, ease of use, support, and the confidence that the company will still be there after the sale.
As legendary sales trainer Zig Ziglar said, “People don’t buy for logical reasons. They buy for emotional reasons.” While we all like to think we’re completely rational buyers, emotion almost always plays a role. We buy from companies we trust. We buy from businesses that make us feel confident. We buy from people who seem to understand our needs.
That’s why I’ve never been a fan of competing on price alone either. If your only advantage is being cheaper, someone else can always come along tomorrow and be cheaper than you. That’s a race to the bottom, and it’s usually the business owner who loses. Instead, focus on increasing the value customers receive. When they believe your product or service solves their problem, they’ll often pay more because they see the investment as worthwhile.
One quote I’ve always liked comes from Warren Buffett: “Price is what you pay. Value is what you get.” Those eight words summarize the difference perfectly. Customers remember the value they received long after they’ve forgotten what they paid.
As business owners, we should be asking ourselves better questions. Instead of asking, “How do I beat my competitor?” perhaps we should ask, “How do I become the obvious choice for my ideal customer?” Those are two very different conversations. One is centered on someone else’s business. The other is centered on serving your customers better than anyone else.
That doesn’t mean you pretend your competitors don’t exist. Respect them. Learn from them. In some cases, they may even inspire you to improve your own products or customer service.
Healthy competition makes businesses better. But never allow another company’s name to become the centerpiece of your marketing message.
When I look back at the advice I received about comparing AskDatabase to SurveyMonkey, I’m glad I didn’t take it. It kept us focused on what mattered most: building a better product for our customers. We spent our time improving the service, listening to feedback, and solving problems instead of creating marketing pieces centered around another company.
Here’s a simple challenge I’d leave you with. Take a look at your website, your brochures, your presentations, and even your conversations with prospective customers. Are you spending
more time talking about your competitors, or are you clearly communicating the value you provide? If the answer is the former, it may be time to change the conversation.
Your goal should never be to convince people that someone else is worse. Your goal should be to demonstrate, through your products, your service, and your reputation, why you’re the right choice.
Do that consistently, and over time something interesting happens. Customers stop comparing you to everyone else because you’ve established your own identity in the marketplace. That’s where every business wants to be, and it’s a much better place to compete than on someone else’s playing field.
Your goal should never be to convince people that someone else is worse. Your goal should be to demonstrate, through your products, your service, and your reputation, why you’re the right choice.
