Who's Really Your Competition?

Let’s talk about how Disney perceives its competition and how you can use the idea to, "Do What You Do So Well That People Can't Help Telling Others About You" This is Lesson 1 from Tom Connellan's book Inside the Magic Kingdom - Seven Keys to Disney's Success.  The idea is absolutely huge and can give you an edge that no competitor can overcome.  It is exactly the type of thought that created this article.

The Competition Is Anyone The Customer Compares You With.  Think of it this way.  One of the ways that people experience Disney is by telephone.  Disney gets thousands of call every day.  Many of them from the same people who call FedEX.  So… when people call FedEx or L.L. Bean, or anyone with 
superior telephone service, Disney understands that they are being compared to the service people get when calling FedEx or L.L. Bean.  Disney then does what they need to do to "compete" with FedEx's telephone service So the lesson is, don't just think of your competitors as the businesses that sells the same things you do.  

Think of the competition as anyone who deals with your customers in any way.  Learn the best practices from any place you can and then do what my friend Bill Glazer advocates -  S&D (Steal and Distribute).  Steal the best ideas you can find and use them in your business.

For more discussion of this lesson and 6 more Keys to Disney's Success get  Tom Connellan's book Inside the Magic Kingdom - Seven Keys to Disney's Success.

Here is a review of the book.