Does the competition drive you crazy? Are they relentless about taking your clients away? Are customer loyalties becoming a thing of the past?

In our ever changing world, it seems securing Business these days comes down to, who will provide the most services at the lowest possible price.

To add insult to injury your previously served customers have taken on a new militant attitude about obtaining your services. They now believe they have a license to set the pricing, dangle it over your head and threaten to call someone cheaper if you will not meet their demands.

It seems the rules have changed and if we are not willing to make the adjustment our Businesses will continue to feel the impact from the competition.

If the title to this article seems a bit brutal, harsh or to blunt for your taste buds, then take a moment and reflect how your Business has been affected by your competition. How that before they came along your were not being hounded about your prices.

Think about how every year several more new businesses come from out of nowhere. They don't advertise, won't get the proper licensing, refuse to be properly insured and have shamelessly solicited your customers. I can assure you that the competition, given half a chance, would not think twice about putting you out of Business if they knew how.

A burr in your britches? I'm thinking, "OH YEAH!"

So how can you snuff out your competition without leaving a mark?

To begin you must first realize that all successful Businesses have always played by a set of unchanging rules.

1. Be #1.

2. Never reveal your Business strategies or tactics.

3. Look for Business that no one is doing or is willing to do.

4. Give more than what the customer is expecting.

5. Follow-up

1. Be #1.

So what do I mean by being #1? It means you never rest on your laurels. Remember you are only as good as your last transaction. You must always excel at honing your skills, always increasing your knowledge base and developing long term customer relationships. This attitude sets you head and shoulders above the competition.

2. Never reveal your Business strategies or tactics.

I don't care how well you know a fellow Business person or how long you have known them. Always remember what P.T. Barnum said,

"Some men have a foolish habit of telling their business secrets. If they make money they like to tell their neighbors how it was done. Nothing is gained by this, and oftentimes much is lost. Say nothing about your profits, your hopes, your expectations, your intentions. And this should apply to letters as well as to conversations. Goethe makes Mephistopheles say: "Never write a letter nor destroy one." Business men must write letters, but they should be careful what they put in them. If you are losing money, be specially cautious and not tell of it, or you will lose your reputation." - P.T. Barnum

3. Look for Business that no one is doing or is willing to do.

Here is where your competition will strike out. They are always looking for what everyone else is doing so they can copy it and make a fast buck. If it is too detailed or involved there is a greater chance of you securing that niche market and exploiting it for greater profits.

4. Give more than what the customer is expecting.

Most of the competition will only do just enough to get the job. The smart Business person goes beyond what was stated to do. You are looking out for your client's best interest. This initiative builds additional value into

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