Do You “Shop” The Competition?

You can bet your competition is keeping an eye on you, they’ve probably even been in to shop if you have a storefront. If you have an online store, they’ve probably checked out your website, backlinks, traffic, product availability, pricing, and delivery.

If your business is a service you can be sure your competition knows how much you charge, and what is included in the price. They’ve probably sent someone in to try out your service, or just to browse around.

You should always know what your business competition is up to. If they have a store front, go visit, shop, even make a small purchase or two. Find out what their employees are like, are they helpful, and knowledgeable? Do they have quality products?

If your competition knows what you look like send in a friend, or an employee to check them out. Give them a list of specific things to look for, or questions to ask. Tell them to pretend they’re a secret shopper on a mission (my son would love that one).

If your competition is online, check out their website regularly. Check out their products, and their pricing. There are also websites that will let you check the page rank, average traffic, and backlinks to most websites. You might also place a small order so you can check out their shipping, communication, and customer service.

If your competition is a service company, check out their services yourself or send in a friend.

You can also check out the buzz about your competition online. Do they have a good reputation? You should be regularly checking out what others are saying about you and your business online, while your there check on your competition.

You can bet the competition is checking on you.