What makes one business better then the other in the same market?

[SalesGod]

I am looking and researching businesses and I was wondering what do you think makes one business successive while others seem to struggle in the same industry? What is the best way to insure your success as you start your own business? And what can be done to maintain and grow your business to be better then the competition? I am asking all these questions in general business, not focusing on any specific kind of business. An example though would be in the lawn care business, what can be done to be better then everyone else, even if your in a very competative field.

[BulaRae]

Service. Service. Service. Presenting an image that is professional and promising (and following through) with outstanding customer service and responsiveness, and doing an outstanding job, or providing an outstanding product at a reasonable price. Every time. No excuses, and the customer is ALWAYS right.

[tazman9r]

I agree, service is key. There are some other things to consider.

1. Marketing/ Advertising - How are you getting the word out to your customers, and are you succeeding?

2. Location - Are you conveniently located to your customers, and/or is your product/service easily accessible online?

3. Quality - Is your product or service worth the money? You might think so, but others might be shopping around you (if they have found you) and decided the other guy's is deal is better.

4. Value - Are your offering a fair amount of "Bang" for their "Buck"? Refer to 3.

5. Service - (These are in no particular order, BTW) If when your customer calls, having done his/her homework on you prior to calling, or while doing their homework on you, what kind of impression are they left with. Friendly customer service and quality customer support can largely overshadow even the quality of your product, in many cases.

Competition - Who are they, how many are there within a 3, 5, 7, 10, 15, and 20 miles from you. Gage the amount of competition you have in your given business to see if your the "only game in town" or not. I work in aviation, and many times there will be only one FBO (fixed based operator - Google it) on the airport. If they are a bad company (overpriced, incompetent, unfriendly, unprofessional, etc.), people will avoid doing any kind of business with them, if possible.

[SmarterGroup]

Unique selling points to draw in your consumer.

High service levels and well working CRM systems will keep them.

[O-Town]

Do exactly what the other business(es) are doing but add something else to your business to keep the customers with your business. If you are cutting grass for them in the warmer seasons, offer snow removal in the colder seasons (if that does apply to where you live). I'm sure most of your competition does that already, so maybe get into landscaping, hedge trimming, tree pruning, invest in a trailer and find a good soil and gravel supplier. With all the home-depot do-it-yourself fad going on, the gravel and soil would be a great investment.

Also, offer lot's of promotions; 1 month free when you sign up for a 4 month contract.

service is a huge issue. The bigger competitors probably won't have the one-on-one advantage you may have if you are a smaller business (not assuming anything). Check up on them and make sure everything is going great. At the end of the season leave a thank you card in their mailbox. Little things are the biggest impact.

Hope this helps!