oh no my business has been targeted

[huggytree]

i had a friend call me to let me know i have a competitor targeting my customers. I did notice he just joined the builder association that i belong to and have many customers from. he specifically talked about me and the fact that i have too many customers from the builder association and that they were joining to take the customers away from me

im not sure if i should worry or not? im sure ive been targeted before.....and ive targeted other plumbers and not much ever came from it

i feel safe as i am friends with most of my customers and have been with most of them for years now

i just find it interesting and wonder if there's something i can do or should do...my gut says i can do nothing at this point

[vangogh]

I don't know if worry is the right approach, though I wouldn't ignore what's happening. You should probably make a little extra effort to strengthen business relationships you have with the members of the builder association. Even if nothing would come of your competitor's targeting you it's not going to hurt to strengthen the relationships.

Just because nothing has ever come of this sort of thing before, it only takes one time…

[huggytree]

work is so slow with most of my customers right now im only worried about the top 2...they are providing me with 75% of my work the past few months..if i lost any of the others i probably wouldnt even know it for a year or more

of the 2 i talk with one almost daily and the other is going boating with my family this weekend....so i should have my bases covered with my top performing customers

[Business Attorney]

Dave, it sounds like you are in good shape with your top customers. While you certainly shouldn't ignore the others (and let them feel that they are being ignored), spending your time and effort on your best customers is smart.

The fact that someone is targeting you is a sign that you are doing something right! Don't let up your efforts, but consider it a compliment that your competition wants to muscle in.

[vangogh]

It does sound like you're doing well with the top 2 customers. I agree with David, not to ignore the others though. It may not be a year or so before you'd feel any loss, but why put yourself in the possible position to feel any loss if it's easily preventable now.

[huggytree]

i always give customers a call when i havent heard from them in a while....i just did one yesterday...i call just to say Hi and see if there still alive....the customers always react well when i do this.

[vangogh]

Little things like that should keep them loyal to you. That's the kind of thing I was suggesting. You keep in touch in some way and it should prevent your competition from stealing your customers away.

[Steve B]

I'm really not sure I understand your situation. I assume I'm being "targeted" by all my competitors every day and I certainly target them every day also. Isn't this just normal business? The fact that you have one particular piece of information that a new competitor is talking about you specifically shouldn't change anything that you're doing. I also saw it as confirmation that you are doing well - just keep on doing what you're doing. It sounds like you've done an outstanding job of developing your relationships over the years.

[huggytree]

I am assuming they have a list of my current customers (just like i keep a list on others)....and they will be calling and marketing directly against me...find a weak spot and use it

they can beat me on price...anyone can....but they wont beat me on service....its not possible for a larger shop to do that

i have targeted (2) different plumbers over the years....one was going through a divorce and had scheduling issues and forgot things....the other gets a lot of leaks......i would call the leaker's customers and tell them that i was picking up a lot of new customers that used to use the same plumber is them...and id be specific 'i keep hearing he gets leaks on every job'....it really didnt work......when the customers came to me on their own i get most of them, but when i call them trying to get them to switch they never do...im not overly persistent though w/ phone calls...(and i dont want to be)...

i have gotten 6 customers over the years from the leaker and 2 from the divorce guy....

i also agree with you guys that it can be a compliment to have a competitor notice me....i never compete against him

he bought out a friend of mine, incorporated the friends last name into his company name.....then fired my friend and somehow he got nothing from the deal...so this guy is a shewd businessman or my friend is an idiot....the truth probably is somewhere in between....now my friend had to start his company over again and cant even use his last name!!!

ive only lost 1 major customer in the past 2-3 years now...and losing them did hurt......getting new customers these days is really tough....ive gotten 2 this year and im considering that to be fantastic.

[BNB]

It's all part of business. In the competitive industry I'm in, I'm fairly certain there are plenty of companies that don't like me too much. We are relatively new and have acquired a ton of high profile customers.

Providing the best product, best pricing, and unbeatable service really helps. I'm sure a newer company will come around the corner as well at some point and become a player in my industry.

If you are doing a better job and providing better value to the customers, you have nothing to worry about. Don't be content. If you start losing customers, you would need to look in the mirror and figure out what you can do better. That's business and competition, nothing new here.