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Ask HN: What is the best way to pick a fight?

11 points by danvoell ↗ HN
I was reading chapter 2 in the Getting Real book http://gettingreal.37signals.com/thanks.php and came across the section about having an enemy which is something we are dealing with.

Our competitor has 6 years on us and they have a great name in the marketplace. We have some distinct advantages over our competitor but nobody really knows about us. We are a free product so we don't have a big budget. What are the best channels to pursue for identifying our advantages over the competition and getting people to take notice? Also, I'm generally non-confrontational.

4 comments

[ 3.5 ms ] story [ 21.4 ms ] thread
jamesbritt
Be really good. Publicize that fact. Don't call attention to competitors. Don't go picking fights.

Don't take Getting Real as some sort of gospel; it's a aphoristic collection of anecdotal observations based on limited experience and selective recollection. That's not to say it isn't useful, but it's just one data point among many.

warpspeed
Competitors don't have be your enemies. In fact, they should be helping to keep you on your toes and create products that are better than theirs. Maybe you should reach out to them to say hi; if they're in the same market as you, you should have a lot to talk about.
sharemywin
Your main users/customers. Do any of them have blogs or other forms of getting the word out? Can/will they evangelize for you? If not, ask them what feature they really really need to make your product better. Or maybe it's a weakenss they really can't get past. Trade them for the upgraded version.
tayip9
I haven't read Getting Real but I would ask yourself whether your problem is competition or getting noticed.

If your market is quite crowded and people are making direct comparisons with your competitor, I would suggest taking the distinct advantages you offer, and making them your main selling points (the ones that really really resonate with your customers). Whether its design, UI, features, or some other mix, you want pick an area and fight for it. Losing in other areas is OK but the main focus is winning in your area and winning big.

If your issue is getting noticed, your strategy will be slightly different. It's no longer an issue of competition but one of customers not knowing about you product or service. In this case, I suggest reaching out to blogs, forums, and experts in the field. If you have a nice spin to your product or have something interesting to say, go can sell your story to the media.

If your issue is a bit of both, well, you will need to do a bit of both of the above.