How To Deal With Imitation

Competitors will always be present in almost any industry we can enter. Even pioneers will eventually come face to face with new entrants that will eventually evolve as close competitors if not guarded. Competition can sometimes be fierce, especially when the market is small. In this level of competition, sometimes there would be companies who would resort to any means in order to gain the upper hand. One of these is imitation. While a certain degree of imitation is an acceptable practice, some types go too far. People say that it is the sincerest form of flattery but still you must know how to properly counter such a tactic.

What happens when there is imitation? At some point in time, most especially when you are starting to gain the lead, you will come across competitors who lack their own ideas to the point that their prime strategy is to just copy the things you offer, and how you offer them. In our case, we even had a competitor who went and copied all our materials online- from the seminar titles down to spelling errors. This is most common when your competitors start to recognize your strength. With the hope that by copying your strategies, they would also receive the same benefits that you are getting.

One obvious problem in imitation is if your market is small and already crowded. Even if the competitor only manages to get a small share the impact may still be significant to your bottom line. In some industries, it may take years before enough companies close down to make it profitable.

However, you have to understand that the most destructive effect is if you let yourself react emotionally and be distracted. You have a lot of things to do, and it starts with forgetting about them copying you, and instead, think of ways to make sure that despite their imitation, you still come out on top.

First, take imitations as a compliment. It is a sign that they all consider what you are doing as supreme over their less than creative ways. However, you have to protect your market share if you want to grow in your industry. Remember that no matter how good they are in copying, they can never duplicate: (1) your customers’ loyalty; (2) skills of your team; and (3) plans that have not yet been implemented (innovations).

In terms of customer loyalty, you should provide loyalty or frequency perks to your customers and constantly satisfy their wants by way of quality customer service, product customizations, and product variety. They will recognize your brand as their top choice and would not change brands once they come to love yours. Take care of your key accounts and constantly seek for feedbacks that you can use to further please your existing clients.

In terms of quality, remember that a part of the process to develop value, you need people who possess the required skills and experience. No matter how observant they are in studying your products, they would never be able to copy something that is dependent on the skills of the people who are part of the production process. Just remember to identify who are loyal to you as your competitors will not think twice in attempting to pirate your top people.

Innovating is the best way to counter the effects of imitation. By periodically improving your product or service quality, imitators will always be left behind. From customer feedbacks, check if there are things that your customers want to be added to your next line of products. These could be new features in gadgets, new meals in food service, or shirts that follow pop culture. Research on current trends here and abroad that could help you effectively innovate. Never stop innovating to make it harder for imitators, and better for your company’s profitability. You do not have to focus on fighting your competitors directly. Focus on your branding and innovation.

You can also seek for intellectual property rights in order to protect your products and branding from imitation. By applying for these rights, you gain the authority to call for a legal action against competitors for copying your protected subjects without your approval and prevent all others from attempting to copy.

Do not wait until some competitor starts copying you before you make your move. Have a plan of action in place as to how to react in case this happens. Anticipating is far better than burying your head in the sand. Deal with imitation with a cool cunning to get the best results.

*Originally published by the Manila Bulletin, C-6, Sunday, October 9, 2016. Written by Ruben Anlacan, Jr. (President, BusinessCoach, Inc.) All rights reserved. May not be reproduced or copied without express written permission of the copyright holders.