Now that I have your attention lets talk about Competition Vs. Rivalry
A while back I wrote the following articles:
Deadly pathogens in your car are a possibility
Amateur poachers a disgrace to the auto detailing industry
Pro's Vs The Joe's
Some questions are more important than the answers
Well it seems that one business owner whom I have always considered the non-competition has become a big fan of Diamond Detailing. What had started as lurking around to get my prices and badmouthing me to my contracted service people has led to an infatuation with visiting my website and this blog on a daily basis.
Apparently it seems we got their attention with the article:
Deadly pathogens in your car are a possibility. The detailer responsible for doing the job I spoke of in the article came forward. It's unfortunate but instead learning from their mistakes and creating opportunity to improve themselves they decided to put on an ugly display of their true colors.
A few weeks back on a Monday morning as I was standing in line at Timmie's for my morning coffee along came a person who placed their hand on my arm and said my name. As I looked at this person I was confused because I didn't know who they were. Immediately the razor sharp tongue came spewing from their mouth and in a matter of 5 minutes I was called an idiot, stupid, I was told I don't know anything, I'm a liar and an a**hole. Classy!
After leaving the coffee shop I went to my store and found that this express detailer had left a message on Sunday only hours after I had posted the article. What had started out sounding like a call from someone I should know, ended quite bitterly stating that they suggest I get a hold of them immediately so we could work things out. Since the message was left before the incident at the coffee shop I didn't bother. If the immature actions taken at the coffee shop was any indication of how they planned on working it out -why bother. I don't have time for people who can't take responsibility for their actions and have no interest in improving themselves.
In their defense - it is true that I only have the customers side of this story and didn't have that of this so-called detailer; but the bottom line is that the job wasn't done right, it could have endangered people's lives and had the job been done right in the first place the client would not have come to me to fix it.
A few weeks past and then I received a phone call from this same car cleaner. The call was made not from their shop but from an automotive dealership. They stated that they were calling because they had a car they couldn't handle and wanted to see if I could do it. Then they went on to say well I thought it would be better to work together than to be enemies. I explained that I was booked up and couldn't get over to the dealership to look at the car immediately. I was given the contact info of the used car salesperson before the conversation ended.
I thought to myself maybe they did learn something from experience. After getting all angry inside and then calming down perhaps they saw the article for which it was intended. Not to criticize and not to harm their business - the words were not directed at them but directed to everyone who offers express or complete detailing services who is not equipped, trained or knowledgeable about the services they are providing. Then as I surfed the net I was quickly slapped in the face and was returned to reality. This detail shop replaced an old ad which stated that they did express detailing and had 9 years experience with a new version stating they have 15 years experience and offer highest quality and the lowest priced express and complete detailing. Apparently, they didn't learn a thing and that is scary! New info added today> I guess after reading this article they decided to pull the free classified ad.
When are they going to learn that competition, not rivalry, allows us to view our opponents clearly, Don't know the difference - think it's the same? Unfortunately it's not. Rivalry which is what this person has chosen; ends in a negative outcome while competition brings about positive changes.
I've never had plans nor do I plan on being this persons' rival and until they can fall into a category where I can consider them as competition, there is no struggle to compete. If people did their job properly and stopped selling services they aren't trained for, equipped and knowledgeable to perform I wouldn't have half as much to write. When I spend day after day repairing damage caused by car washes and amateurs I feel there is a real need for the public to be more aware of amateurs posing as professionals and how it has a direct impact on their investment.
