Choices and Competition: It’s All About Perspective

Trump is bad, and Harris is good. Pepsi is good, and Coke is bad. Says who? Dumb people say this, and smart people say that, apparently. Mercedes is better than BMW. Samsung is better than Apple. Apple is better than a PC. The M-16 is better than the AK-47. The SU-57 is better than the F-35. The list goes on. But is it so? Well, it depends on the customer.

When I served in the IDF, I was in a West-aligned country close to the U.S., so all our weapons were Western-made. Still, I tried a few times to sneak an AK-47 because I was sick and tired of my M-16 getting jammed in the desert sand. Individually, I would have been a customer of the AK-47, but on a larger scale, my country, my army, and my organization were customers of another supplier.

If India purchases the SU-57 instead of the F-35, is that because they’re dumb? Because they’re bad? Because they’re pro-Russia? Or is it because they’re closer to spare parts, and the budget aligns better?

BMW owners have a reputation, but perhaps you like the car’s quality? I’m nice on the road, but my dream car is still a BMW 7X because it would meet all my requirements for long-distance, all-weather travel and have plenty of space for my two dogs and cat that I like to take along, not to mention my bike and a load of suitcases. My partner, on the other hand, loves the Tesla Y for the same reasons.

So, how can two completely different vehicles meet similar needs? Why do I prefer BMW and she Tesla? And does it say something about us ideologically? Tesla represents green energy, but I’m not sure my partner cares much about that. Meanwhile, I think it’s nice, but I still want a massive diesel Jeep.

Vacation in Greece or Croatia? What does each choice say about you? Do you prefer one culture over the other? But what if you stay in an all-inclusive hotel where you barely experience the local culture? You may still say you prefer Croatia, even though you’ve never met a Croatian.

In Jewish culture, we say each town has two synagogues—one to go to and one to avoid. I lived in a town with one synagogue, and nobody ever went. It’s like the example of a Coke vending machine not doing well until they put a Pepsi machine next to it. Humans choose one when there is another.

If there were only Trump, would as many vote for him? If there was only Greece, would as many go on vacation there? And would the F-35 sell as well without the SU-57 as a competitor? I often wonder about BMW or Mercedes. If there was only BMW, would I wonder as much?

Thinking of the competitor often brings my business to one of the two companies. So is competition good? Well, duh, I think that’s obvious. We should all know this by now: what benefits consumers also benefits businesses. Many smart pharmaceutical companies become their own competitors with multiple brands.

A prospect will buy one or the other when both are presented as equal options in sales. So remember to mention competitors frequently when selling.