Everyone desires to excel at their work, be better than the best and the uncontested leader in their domain. But often people are forced to confront the bitter reality that there are people out there, better than them, who are achieving greater heights and perhaps even winning accolades for the same. 

Well, truth be told, no one is thrilled to see their competitor doing well. But the question to ask is - why is he/she more successful than you? What are you lacking? There may be several reasons for your relative stagnation and a competitor’s continual growth. Here is a list of the top 4 reasons why you maybe falling behind your competitors. 

1. They Are Social, You Are Not! 

Sometimes, people get too involved in the practicalities of their work and do not stop to consider the various responsibilities and expectations that come with it. For any businessman or working professional, it is very important that their target audience – their customers – are well-satisfied with their work. 

All things being equal, maybe the reason why your competitors are ahead of you is because they are seen as more customer focused than you are. How? They have probably created a social media presence and interact with their customers through social platforms on a regular basis.

Good news is you don’t have to have very deep pockets to provide excellent customer care. Social media is an excellent and cost-effective tool that can help you manage your customer relations.

Your Facebook page or G+ community can double up as a customer care center and all you need are couple of qualified Virtual Assistants to monitor customer queries, bring the serious ones to your notice and handle them appropriately.

The biggest advantage of using Social Media as a customer care tool is that it helps you build goodwill. If you are seen attending to your customers’ issues promptly, your fans as well people in your customers’ social network will start seeing you as someone reliable and trustworthy.

2. Faster Reaction Time

Your rival may also be more successful than you because he understands the tricks of the trade better and is on top of all industry news and is therefore able to react to new developments faster.

Internet can come to the aid of small business here. There are several apps and free services through which you can keep track of the latest industry developments. Google Alerts is one of the most recommended ones.

To give you a simple example, when the Google Disavow tool was launched, some SEO companies got a huge increase in traffic by quickly publishing videos, blogs and infographics with their take on the Disavow tool and how business owners could use it. They were able to react to the new development quickly, because these companies kept track on the latest developments in their niche.

3. They Are On Top Of The Technology Game

Did you know that 1 out of 3 mobile searches are local or that 61% searches on mobile phones result in a phone call? If you run a local business, your competitor probably knows this!

You could be lagging behind because you haven’t become as tech savvy as your competitor. Maybe you don’t have a mobile website, a local listing on platforms like Google local, Foursquare or your local classified, or maybe you haven’t invested in app development like your competitor has.

So, if you are not doing as well as your competitor, it makes sense to study their marketing model, make a note of the technology and tools he/she has invested in, and create space for the same in your business. Remember, you don’t have to create me-too strategies, just take a leaf out of their book and focus on using the tools to market your USP---something that will make you stand out in the market.

4. A More Positive Outlook

Your attitude plays a major role in determining the outcome of your efforts. If you are continually thinking negative thoughts, you will get too caught up in your own negativity. Therefore, you must strive to adopt a positive approach to work, don’t focus too much on your problems, instead look around for solutions.

Good Luck!

Vani writes for Appsquare, an Australia based android and iphone app development company that creates innovative apps, provides part funding for selected app ideas and also helps app developers get funding through its network of Venture Capitalists and Angel Investors.