Episode 309: 3 Ways To Beat The Competition At Their Own Game

You might be looking to increase your business, or take on more clients. Maybe trying to grow your business and increase your revenue. Whatever it is you are looking to do, you need to stand out from the competition. What are you doing differently that will stand out from your competition? What if I told you there are things you can be doing right now that will make sure you are the one to stand out from the competition and take on the clients? Today I am giving you three tips to start doing today, that will make all the difference. 80-90% of people are not doing the first tip, so it is up to you to stand out from the competition. Solidify the business you want for the holiday season now so you can enjoy your time with family and friends. Biggest Takeaways: 3:10 answer emails and phone calls immediately 6:10 Always Be Closing 8:35 Anticipate client’s questions Recommendations: As a business owner, there are many HR situations and questions you run into. In my Mastermind group, there are over four years of HR questions answered and monthly calls where an HR expert comes in to answer all your questions. It is a community of business owners keeping each other accountable for goals and leaning in for help when it is needed. If you feel like you might be alone in your business, the Mastermind group is something to explore. They know how to set and crush goals and stand out from the competition. Don't be shy, I am always a reply away to answer any questions you might have! Links: Episode 274: 3 Reasons Why Sales Is Super Important In Your Pet Business In 2022 Better Marketing With Bella Bella Vasta Instagram Mastermind Group Transcript This is episode 309 of Bella in Your Business. Hi there, I'm Bella Vasta from Jump Consulting. You might know me from CBS, NBC, Fox, Huffington Post, Entrepreneur, or maybe you've seen me speak on stage or read my book The Four Dogs That Every Business Owner Needs. In any case, get ready because you're about to get your hashtag Bella Butt Kickin' in this next episode of Bella in Your Business. So what do you say? Let's get ready and jump. Welcome to another episode of Bella in Your Business. My name is Bella Vasta, and today we're going to talk about beating your competition at their own game. Yeah. I know that some of you are like, “No, they're not my competition. We're all friends, we're colleagues, we all offer different things.” And that is a very healthy mindset. So if you want to switch the word “competition” with something like “the other service provider,” go ahead and do that. But for the sake of this podcast, I am totally talking about ways to beat your competition. I wanted to give a shout-out to Michelle, Leia, and Kathy for always listening to the podcast. You ladies, every single week, are always sharing on your Instagram stories, and it just delights me. It makes me so happy to hear what your biggest takeaways are. It fuels me for this podcast, so thank you. There are a lot of reasons why we might want to beat the competition. Maybe you just hired somebody and need to get your midday dog walks up. Maybe you need to increase pet sitting during the holidays. The holidays are coming up, and maybe you have some staff members coming back from college during fall or winter break. If you do, reach out to them now and find out what their plans are. But for whatever reason, you're probably looking to increase your revenue and grow your business. One of the best ways to do this is by standing out from the competition—so that when someone lands on your website, they just can’t help but sign up or call you right away. Or email you. Or whatever your call to action is (which, by the way, should only be one). You want them to do this one thing, and I'm going to give you three tactics today that will help make sure you land the client instead of someone else. And by someone else, I mean friends, family, neighbors, Rover, Wag, the kid next door, or another company. The first thing—and this is one of the easiest things you can do, but 80 to 90% of people don’t—is this: answer emails and phone calls immediately. When people reach out to you, they’re not looking to leave a message. They’re looking to check an item off their to-do list and feel confident that they’ve taken care of it. They want to feel good about the price, the service, and most importantly, that they can trust you. What better way to build that trust than to respond as soon as humanly possible? It gets you in front of them—and that’s the biggest part of the game. You’ve got to get in front of people, start building that relationship, and understand their pain points. Hardly anyone answers the phone anymore. But if I’m calling you, I want to connect with you. A phone call is more personal than an email. If I were less serious, I might just fill out a form on your website. Speaking of forms, let’s take a quick detour—if you have a form on your website, make sure it’s the one that integrates with your software. Don’t have a separate form that doesn’t automatically sync. And please make sure that form is short and simple. Remember, most people are using their thumbs on mobile. So yes, answer your emails and phones immediately. Even if it’s just a quick message or video saying, “Hi, I’m Bella. My hands are full of leashes and litter boxes right now, but I’ll call you back between two and three. Let me know if there’s a better time.” That quick acknowledgment matters. Ideally, that’s the exception, not the rule. But it works—because it shows you care. In fact, one of our listeners used this exact tactic after hearing it in a previous episode—and she landed the client right away. That’s how powerful responsiveness is. Now let’s move to number two: Always Be Closing. If you’ve listened to episode 274, “Three Reasons Why Sales Is Super Important in Your Business,” you’ll know what I mean. You should always be closing—getting small yeses that move the client closer to the big yes. Ask things like, “Can I tell you who we are and what we’re about?” or “What’s the most important thing you’re looking for in a dog walker?” or “Have you ever used a dog walker before?” These small questions give you the information you need for your grand finale: “All I need is your email so I can send you everything in writing. Here’s the link to sign up. When can I expect your registration—tonight? Fantastic. I’ll check tomorrow morning to confirm it went through. Once it does, X, Y, and Z will happen.” If tomorrow comes and they haven’t signed up, you now have a reason to follow up. People are busy. Sometimes they mean to sign up and just don’t get to it. When you follow up, it shows that you genuinely want their business—and that effort goes a long way. Now, number three—and this one’s big: Anticipate your clients’ questions and answer them before they even ask. Have you ever talked to someone who feels like they’re reading your mind? You think, “Oh my gosh, that’s exactly what I was going to ask.” When that happens, the person has you hooked—they understand you. And when people feel understood, they trust you. So think about your clients’ questions. What might they be wondering? Anticipate them. Answer them before they even say them out loud. One of my favorite lines I use (and you can steal it) is: “Our clients love knowing that we work as a team to back each other up.” It’s a subtle psychological thing—it invites them to already imagine themselves as one of your clients. It’s like saying, “Pull up a seat, you belong here.” Let’s recap: Answer emails and phone calls immediately. Always be closing—keep moving toward the yes. Anticipate questions and answer them before they’re asked. If you do these three things, you’ll feel (and be) much more attractive to potential clients than your competition. These small things make a huge difference: being responsive, moving toward solutions, and anticipating needs. And please—if you’re one of those people who says “Let me know,” stop. Eliminate it from your vocabulary today. “Let me know” kills the conversation. You’re giving away control. Replace it with action steps and confident next moves. When you show up quickly, stay proactive, and understand what your clients are thinking before they say it—you’ll win every time. That’s how you beat your competition at their own game. So step up your game, take action, and keep jumping. Hey guys, this has been another episode of Bella in Your Business. Thanks so much for listening. Go ahead and keep bingeing on Bella—I’m not going to stop you. And I’ll see you again on the next episode, number 310. Bye now. So what did you think? Did you love this episode? I sure hope you did because I put a lot of love into this for you. The best way you can show me that is by going to iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, or wherever you listen to your podcasts and leaving a review. I just might read it on the next episode. I also want to remind you that when life gets you down, remember to always keep jumping. Thanks for listening.