Knock Off The Guru

By Bob McElwain
Posted Monday, August 23, 2004

You've done it. You've found a great niche and a target within it you really enjoy working with. It's an area in which you already have sufficient expertise for a great start and you feel confident that within a very short time, you can master the whole of it. You even have some good products in mind. Further it has potential in the near term, with even more over time. It's just perfect. Exactly what you have been searching for.

But dominating this niche is The Guru. There's a website that seems to be working well. Lots of interactivity, so while you don't have a visitor count, there seems to be good traffic. And a newsletter. So what now? Forget it, right? Look for greener pastures, right?

No. Look closer.

You May Yet Win

Years back a friend of mine who understood the grocery business gave me a winning formula for most any business. "If you want to start a grocery business [supermarket these days]," he said, "Identify the best store in town, open up right across the street, then beat them."

While this may seem unrealistic at first glance, it is the only way to go. For if you can not beat your competition face to face, you won't do better on some side street down the block in a low rent district. It will only take a bit longer to go bust.

This holds for the Web as well. So ...

Get To Know The Guru

Take the time to thoroughly examine this person who apparently stands in your way.

Check out the site and follow changes with care.
Subscribe to the newsletter.
Read the books available.
Check out the forums from the earliest entry to the latest. Find newsgroups in which The Guru hangs out and join in.

The objective is to learn everything possible about this person, right down to his or her favorite color of socks, their stand on Wheaties versus corn flakes, on cats versus dogs.

Is The Guru For Real?

Some obtain The Guru position almost by accident. For example, being the first one to jump in can be enough to make it happen. If you go at this determinedly, you may find The Guru ...

Is not as knowledgable as is implied. (Or is flat wrong.) Is another self-proclaimed expert who is in fact a phony. Has a cult following, but does not lead the entire target. Is a step or two behind the times, not staying current. Offers products or services for which better exist. Is not promoting well. Is not relating to visitors effectively.

While there are other things to look for, the above is a good start. If The Guru is faltering in even one area such as the above, it may offer a sufficient opening for you to break through and capture the top spot.

Is There An Alternate Position?

In areas such as politics, medicine, and many others, there are different points of view. While differences may not be as clearly defined in your chosen area as in politics, there may be a need for another voice speaking from a different point of beginning. A need for a stand other than the one The Guru has staked out.

The Guru may be wrong in one or more fundamental positions which means the conclusions and recommendations are not as effective as what you can offer.

Or The Guru may only partially cover the subject. You may be able to set up camp right next door and provide what has been overlooked.

While thinking along these line is not entirely clear cut, you may be able to establish an opposing or alternate position. And when you begin to be noticed, The Guru may indirectly be forced to enhance your position by defending against it. If you politely refuse to join in the ensuing fray, you may be able to rise above it and take the high ground.

What If The Guru Is Unbeatable?

If this is really so, there is still one possibility to consider.

If there are several people who appear qualified to contend for the top spot, forget it. The odds are just too long. You don't have a good shot at beating all of them.

But if The Guru is alone at the top, even though there are dozens of wannabes below, there is a chance here, one worth serious consideration.

Go For Second

Years back Hertz dominated the rental car business. Avis was back a ways but doing well. Others came and went, without offering significant competition. But those at Avis were not satisfied. They brought in a new CEO.

He immediately bought an advertising campaign, intent upon remaking the company image and significantly boosting sales. A couple of months later with major bucks expended, the suits met in a large conference room. When the head suit from the ad agency stood, all eyes were upon him. "You're second," he said. "So you try harder."

Silence lingered for a time. Over a million dollars had been paid for each word uttered. The new CEO may have ground his teeth in agony, but he smiled, then nodded agreement. The rest is history.

What a remarkable USP (Universal Selling Proposition). That they were second was undeniable. That they were therefore forced to try harder was obviously a benefit to busy, weary travelers. For many years, Avis closed on Hertz, doing very well indeed.

The Hidden Pull

Have you ever watched a horse in which there is a clear leader coming around the last turn into the stretch? With the horse running second back a ways, but with a shot? With rest of them out of it, making it a two horse race to the finish line?

If you have, you remember it well. The fans go crazy. The jockey on the leader may be forced to use the whip just to keep the attention of his mount fixed on the task. But with or without a whip, that second horse closes. And the fans go even crazier.

But if the second horse can win by even a nose, the stands erupt. People toss smiles in all directions. Some jump up and down in place. Maybe clap their hands over their head. Almost as if each owned the horse.

This is true in racing of any kind. Cars. Motorcycles. Bicycles. Runners, whether a sixty yard dash or a marathon. Thus the new USP for Avis tapped into a vast enthusiasm among the many Americans who tend to support the underdog.

I'd like to report the ad agency was aware of this, for it is magnificent positioning, but I don't recall. Certainly they became aware of it. Through the years, they continued to monkey with this winning position. One blunder I remember was something like, "We're as good as number one!" The campaign lasted about two weeks on television, and sales plummeted. When they tossed it out (and maybe the ad agency as well) and returned to the initial position, sales recovered nicely.

More About Second

While the above is a tale of big business, a small business can be successful with a similar approach. Many applaud the underdog, particularly when they are trying harder.

Quicker response to email. Immediate replies to questions in the forums. A broader range of products or services. Better quality. And in all, total and immediate customer support.

Wrapping Up

If you can beat The Guru, do so. Go for the jugular!

If you can't, seek an alternate position.

If that's no go, consider going for second place. Avis made it work for a lot of years.

About the Author
Bob McElwain
Want to build a winning site? Improve one you already have? Fix one that's busted? Get ANSWERS. Subscribe to "STAT News" now! mailto:join-stat@lists.dundee.net

Web marketing and consulting since 1993
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