BY AJ AGRAWAL

Do you want to take down your top competitors? If so, here's where to start.

Shared: From your friends TechAutoCareers.com® the online resource for the Automotive Sales Consultant

Dealing with competitors is one of the most challenging obstacles startups face. Typically, we're going up against a company with more funding, a stronger team, and more market share. While this is an uphill battle, there are a couple of strategies that can help turn your weaknesses into strengths. Here are a few ways you can use a lack of resources as an advantage against competitors.

1. Play up your lack of resources

Everyone loves the underdog. Use this to your advantage. When you have the option, tell the press about how you've been able to compete with your number one competitor. If you can, mention how you have few resources like funding. Competitors love sharing when they raise millions of dollars, and that's a perfect way to use their funding against them.

Also, repeatedly comparing yourself to your number one competitor will eventually raise your image. If your customers start seeing you on the same level as the market leader, they'll make sure they consider you before buying. And if you say you've been able to compete without much, investors will start wondering what would happen if they backed you. Don't worry about your competition retaliating. Instead, try to promote a counter attack as much as possible. Once the market leader calls you out, your reputation will just keep rising.

2. Dominate customer service

One of the best parts of the early stages of a start-up is that you have more time to interact one on one with your customers. Eventually, when your company gets large enough, you won't be able to have the same interaction. When you're starting out, exploit this strength by going above and beyond for your customers. If you're the CEO, try getting in touch with all your early customers as much as possible. Send them a personalized email. Ask if they'd like to speak to you on the phone. Perhaps even take them to coffee or dinner. Overtime, you'll build a loyal customer base with this strategy. By the time your competition sees you on the radar, you'll have too many dedicated purchasers for them to wipe you out.

After you've built up a solid group of customers, start spreading around what you did for your early adopters. Potential buyers who are on the fence will love to see that you do so much for your customers. Start incorporating these stories into your blog, social media, and the press. When people start questioning your competitor's customer service, they'll end up buying from you.

3. Rally your team

One of the best ways to motivate your team is with an "us vs. them" scenario. As the underdog, it's much easier to motivate your team against the largest competitor you face. It's much harder for your competition to be able to do the same with your team, because you won't look like a real threat in your early stages. Use this to your advantage by rewarding employees who steal business from your number one competitor. Develop a culture that makes it seem like your team is fighting for something bigger than yourselves. It's hard to stay motivated as a top company in a market because usually big accomplishments start fizzling out.

When you're a startup, it's the opposite. Your first customer is huge. That first round of funding becomes a company party. And when you declare war on a top competitor, any successful strike against them will fuel your company forward.

What do you think? Is this something you can benefit from or do you have a few tricks up your sleeve that are just as powerful? Make your voice heard by leaving a comment below. Don’t forget to hit the share button if you know others who will find this post useful.

I.C. Collins ~ Author, Educator, Trainer and President: Has One Simple Goal: Improve a Million Automotive Sales Consultants Lives with our ebook "How to Succeed in the Automotive Sales Industry"

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