Don’t Let Your Competitors Set Your Agenda

Even the biggest tech powerhouses make the occasional business mistake. And one of the
most frequent? They let their competitors set their agendas.
Take Google. Google remains the undisputed search engine king. It’s also one of the most
powerful companies in the world, but that hasn’t stopped Google from trying unsuccessfully to
become the next Facebook.

Facebook takes Google to school

Facebook has already established itself as the leading force in social media. Google thought
that it should hold that title, so it launched Google+, its own social networking program.
Now, there’s nothing wrong with Google+. It boasts some nifty features, especially in the tweaks
it offers for business owners. But Google+ is not Facebook. Consumers are simply used to
Facebook. They prefer to use the service for their social media needs. Google attempted to
break into Facebook’s turf by offering a product that’s not really needed.
It hasn’t worked. Google+ remains a distant afterthought in the world of social media.

An Internet search mistake

Microsoft knows the feeling of falling into this same trap. As everyone knows, Google remains
the top dog in the world of Internet search. This hasn’t changed since Microsoft launched Bing,
its own Internet search engine.
Again, there’s nothing inherently wrong with Bing. The search program does a good job finding
information. And it, too, comes with some nice features. Unfortunately, Google search is still
better. It’s easier to use. It’s familiar. And it’s quick. There’s no real reason for consumers to
make the switch from Google search to Bing.

Learn from Google, Microsoft mistakes

You can learn from the mistakes made these two tech giants. Focus on improving what you
already do. For instance, instead of targeting social media, Google should concentrate on
improving its search, e-mail, and online documents servers. These are already successful
offerings, and Google can gain even more followers by making them stronger.
Follow this example. Don’t be distracted by what your competitors are doing. Your job is to
make the services and products at which you already excel even stronger.