“How do you view competitors?”

I view them as distractions. They distract the prospects from my company’s messaging. They distract the media and analysts from what really matters… They distract my company’s sales reps from focusing on the business value we deliver to our customers rather than how we are better than competitor X.

All my life, there have been examples of how competition leads to increased value to the customer: Ali/Frazier, Bird/Magic, Manning/Brady, iPhone/Android, Toyota/Honda, etc. No question there…

“A winner is someone who recognizes his God-given talents, works his tail off to develop them into skills, and uses these skills to accomplish his goals.”

• Larry Bird (note — no mention of the competition)

I feel the same way when I play 8-ball. My focus is on winning the game I am playing, the match I am in, getting points for my team that night, winning the regionals (last weekend), winning the state championship (June) and going to Vegas for the national championship in August and winning it. My competitors are the obstacles to that goal…