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Competition

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CAVEAT: This has nothing to do with ME, my work, or my business. Just an observation.

I noticed today, a topic where one leather maker commented to another, in a competitive manner. It was obviously meant to show one's output more capable, and possibly swing any customers that might be reading the topic, torwards him or her. Now, that's the American way, I guess, and since LW is reaching out to more and more people, both makers, and those looking to have something made, I thought this would be a good beginning to a conversation among us makers, as to just how we should interact with each other on this Forum.

Ego, money, misinterpreted topics and comments will always happen here on the intertubes. It's just the nature of the beast. We form our friendships, and communities directly from our perception of the written words, or affinities for each others works. Sometimes they're right...sometimes wrong.

With the growth of our little board, I am just wondering what you all think. I do not think this is pervasive, at all, here, just that I've seen it enough times to ask you directly what you think. How, if at all we should deal with it, and in general, how we approach the future of this board. LW has grown from a few makers, and hobbyists, to possibly a fundamental part of the Business. The operators of this board are likely to have even grander plans for it. I for one, am truly greatful for their work.

Sometimes these types of conversations garner little response, or deteriorate rapidly, other times there are gems hidden within. Let's see what you got.....

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Kain't really say what the next fella will do. For me, ...

I landed here on LW selfishly trying to find a pattern and save drawing one (re-inventing the wheel). I am my own worst critic (wife says I'll never be satisfied) and, while we all love to hear others' praise, in the end it's my opinion of my own work that counts. I never did find the pattern, but stayed for the company of other leather nuts (no offense, that's a compliment).

There's some work around here that I personally think is VERY nice, and some not so much. Just my opinion. But I don't take someone else's idea without their permission, and if I did use something from another crafter I would have no problem stating -- to the site, to the customer, whoever -- that I got the idea (or style...) from [insert your name here]. If in my honest opinion the guy did it better than me, I would have no problem sending a note to ask that person if they want the order. What I originally thought was just common courtesy turns out to also be good business.

Oh, I know wha t you mean about the posts ... sometimes I think it's a contest to see how quick we can disintegrate a topic ... :)

Edited by JLSleather

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I definitely notice the "marketing" end of things. Sometimes it's more blatant than others. For me, I appreciated when I asked/commented about Zack White, I got a reply directly from them. That's nice! I think that businesses have the "right" to compete for your business, yet I feel they should do it politely. Being aggressive, to me, makes me go somewhere else.

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Tough call. On another board where my customers reside I am pretty relentless about being involved in every discussion possible about cue cases. To the point where it's definitely a turn off for some and I am obviously "that guy". For others though they welcome the frank comments and discussion about every aspect of cue cases and thank me for it.

It's obviously not conducive to doing good business getting into any sorts of "wars" with your competition and certainly I know that doing so makes people almost feel obligated to choose sides.

On the other hand I will not let my competition get away with hyping up their products and making out that their products have the better value if they don't. Nor will I allow it by proxy when a customer of theirs ignorantly proclaims their product to be better than our product.

I just feel that things that need to be challenged and dissected because the problem I see is that the audience often looks at statements without challenge as truth.

By the same token I also open myself and our products up to intense criticism. I welcome it and welcome side-by-side apples to apples comparisons because I know that we will come out on top in just about every metric governing value received for price paid.

But this approach seems to really rub people the wrong way who think that business should be a big kumbaya festival where no one is allowed to challenge or "speak ill" of a competitor. I don't think that people should make a habit of just trashing a competitor even if they have the facts to back it up. But I do feel that it's a duty for a business to stand up for themselves and fight for customers by asserting themselves when they truly have a better offer or a better product.

On these forums though I DO NOT think it is right for one competitor to do this in another's thread. So if I make sewing machines and I post a thread debuting a new model then I don't feel that another sewing machine maker should jump in with their own offerings.

UNLESS the maker who is offering their machine is making outlandish claims. - fine line fine line fine line - -

Now, in a general thread where someone ask what machine they should buy then by all means, compete and give that person your best pitch. How you present your product and how you handle yourself will make an impression on the potential customer and all the people reading.

God knows I have been on the WRONG side of that line many times on the other forum. So I have plenty of experience doing it the wrong way. Hindsight being 20/20 I would have done things differently with more tact and less arrogance but with no less passion and conviction.

SO I guess my point is that there is a right way to compete and it's not at the cost of alienating people and making others choose sides. The way to do it is to be firm, fact based, on topic, and polite.

.

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