What Are Your Competitors Doing Better Than You?

When was the last time you secret shopped your competition?

Sometimes we get so caught up in improving our own marketing that we forget our competition isn’t standing still either. They’re investing in ways to win customers in our market, too.

So today, I want you to ask yourself this question. “Are our competitors doing things that are making buyers choose them over us?”

A few weeks ago, I realized it had been a bit since I’d checked out what other HubSpot partner agencies were doing. There are over a dozen Elite HubSpot partner agencies in the U.S., and even though we don’t compete with many of them directly, I still thought it would be valuable to see how they’re positioning themselves, how they’ve built their websites, and what they’re putting in their content. I was looking for reasons a buyer might choose them over us and ideas for where we could improve.

I left with probably 100 ideas.

And yes, I could have delegated this to AI, but that would have given me a report and robbed me of the learning. AI rode alongside me, but Human Bob was leading this one.

One other thing I did on all of these sites was test their conversion paths. How easy was it for me to book a call? What did they put on their “Book a Call” pages? What did they send me after I finished booking?

I would’ve liked to see the follow-up from a buyer’s perspective, too. An email from me is pretty obviously from IMPACT. If I’d been reaching out from another company, how fast would they have responded? What would they have sent me? How impressed would I have been with the follow-up? That’s probably something I’ll look at in the future.

If you feel you’re doing a lot of the things we teach here at IMPACT well, yet you’re not getting as many sales opportunities as you’d hoped, I’d bet there’s a company or two doing something with their messaging or marketing that’s making buyers choose them over you.

You need to figure out what that is and what you’re going to do about it.

What to do

1. Block out some time. I spent about three hours on a Saturday, but even 30 minutes could be enough.
2. Make a list of the companies you lose customers to most often. Your sellers probably know who they are. AI can help you add to the list, too. Open a fresh chat and ask, “Who are the top five _____ companies for someone looking for _____ in [your market]?”
3. Go through each site as if you were a customer. Write down what they’re doing well and let yourself be inspired. If they have a pricing calculator, use it. If they have a customer video, watch it. What did you learn that would make you feel more comfortable choosing them?
4. Go as far as you can through the process of becoming a customer. Click “Get a Quote” or “Book a Call” and see what happens. What do they ask you? What do they tell you about the meeting? If you do book a time, pay attention to what happens next.

If you’re working with an IMPACT coach, bring a few ideas to your next session and ask which one they’d tackle first.

If you’re not working with a coach and you’re worried you’re losing more deals to your competitors, book a call with our team. We’ll help you figure out why buyers might be choosing them and what you can do about it.

Last thing I’ll leave you with… success leaves clues.