It is amazing, in nine years I have rarely been asked our competition is. However, in the past month I have been asked it numerous times. From friends, attorneys, our bank, our finance company, and so on… So it really got me thinking. My answer, while it may sound cocky, was simple. We don't have competition. Let me follow that up by saying it was the furthest thing from a cocky comment. It is just how we have managed to build the UNCS culture. We have built UNCS on relationships. Be it with our vendors, customers, banks, trucking companies and anyone else we come in contact with. Each and every person in our company strives (at least they appear to) to show the people we come in contact with the UNCS difference, which is the value of a relationship. I was not insinuating that there aren’t other companies out there that do what we do, and some do it even better than we do. However, they are not competition. They are potential suppliers, vendors, teachers, etc. All with something we can learn from.
If you can take your competition and turn them into allies you will be way ahead of the game. If there is a supplier you buy from, perhaps you can also offer them product. If there is a customer you sell a lot of goods or services to, perhaps they could sell you merchandise. Even more important than the all might sale is the connection you make. If you build your business focusing all your attention on the deal, and lose sight of the big picture, you are doing yourself a great disservice. As a deal will only get you through the day, a relationship has the ability to last a lifetime.
Short and sweet this week. Moral of the story, be the kid on the playground that gets along with everyone! As he is the one who always ends up on top!
Until next time……
