

Ask HN: What is the best way to pick a fight? - danvoell

I was reading chapter 2 in the Getting Real book  http://gettingreal.37signals.com/thanks.php and came across the section about having an enemy which is something we are dealing with.<p>Our competitor has 6 years on us and they have a great name in the marketplace. We have some distinct advantages over our competitor but nobody really knows about us. We are a free product so we don't have a big budget.  What are the best channels to pursue for identifying our advantages over the competition and getting people to take notice? Also, I'm generally non-confrontational.
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jamesbritt
Be really good. Publicize that fact. Don't call attention to competitors.
Don't go picking fights.

Don't take Getting Real as some sort of gospel; it's a aphoristic collection
of anecdotal observations based on limited experience and selective
recollection. That's not to say it isn't useful, but it's just one data point
among many.

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warpspeed
Competitors don't have be your enemies. In fact, they should be helping to
keep you on your toes and create products that are better than theirs. Maybe
you should reach out to them to say hi; if they're in the same market as you,
you should have a lot to talk about.

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tayip9
I haven't read Getting Real but I would ask yourself whether your problem is
competition or getting noticed.

If your market is quite crowded and people are making direct comparisons with
your competitor, I would suggest taking the distinct advantages you offer, and
making them your main selling points (the ones that really really resonate
with your customers). Whether its design, UI, features, or some other mix, you
want pick an area and fight for it. Losing in other areas is OK but the main
focus is winning in your area and winning big.

If your issue is getting noticed, your strategy will be slightly different.
It's no longer an issue of competition but one of customers not knowing about
you product or service. In this case, I suggest reaching out to blogs, forums,
and experts in the field. If you have a nice spin to your product or have
something interesting to say, go can sell your story to the media.

If your issue is a bit of both, well, you will need to do a bit of both of the
above.

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sharemywin
Your main users/customers. Do any of them have blogs or other forms of getting
the word out? Can/will they evangelize for you? If not, ask them what feature
they really really need to make your product better. Or maybe it's a weakenss
they really can't get past. Trade them for the upgraded version.

