Why We’re Not Afraid to Talk About Our Competitors

There’s a common approach in business: don’t mention your competitors, act like you’re the only option, and if a customer brings up another company, quickly change the subject.

At Dr Konkrete, we see it differently.

We’re not the only company manufacturing precast concrete products in Texas. Companies such as Superior Concrete Products, Fortress Precast, Concretex, AFTEC/Aber Fence, Hilltop Concrete, FenceCrete, and others are part of the same industry. Some have been doing this longer than we have.

We don’t need to pretend they don’t exist. And we certainly don’t need to speak badly about them.

Every Company Has Strengths and Weaknesses

Sometimes a customer decides not to work with a company again because of one bad experience. Maybe a project was delayed. Maybe there was a misunderstanding about delivery or installation. Maybe someone didn’t return a call. Maybe an employee or manager was simply having a difficult day and didn’t communicate as well as they normally would.

People are people, and every business has an off day sooner or later.

One experience can change a customer’s opinion of an entire company, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that company makes a bad product or does bad work.

A company that isn’t the right fit for one customer may be exactly the right fit for another.

That’s why customers should have choices.

‍ ‍Competition Doesn’t Have to Mean Hostility

Precast concrete fence manufacturers and industry partners working together in Texas.

Of course we compete for projects. That’s business.

But we can compete through better products, service, pricing, manufacturing capabilities, lead times, installation, and new ideas. We don’t need to compete by hiding other companies, speaking badly about them, or spreading negative or false information.

And competitors don’t always have to remain competitors.

One company may have production capacity while another has an installation crew. One manufacturer may produce something another doesn’t. A large project may require capabilities that make cooperation beneficial to everyone involved.

Today’s competitor can become tomorrow’s customer, supplier, subcontractor, installer, or partner.

We believe there’s more value in building relationships than in building walls between businesses.

‍ ‍There’s Always More Business Out There

There’s something special about our industry — and, really, about business in general. Look in almost any direction and you can find another opportunity.

Start with concrete fences. Look a little to the side and there are retaining walls. Turn a little further and there are architectural panels, sound walls, pavers, barriers, utility products, structural components, and countless other precast products.

The fundamentals are often very similar: forms, reinforcement, concrete mix design, casting, vibration, curing, quality control, and logistics. The product changes, but much of the knowledge and manufacturing experience carries over.

And this idea goes far beyond precast concrete. A business that keeps looking for problems it can solve will keep finding new opportunities.

That’s why we believe there’s always more business out there. Success doesn’t have to come at someone else’s expense.

A Principle We Believe Applies to Business

There is a principle in the Bible that expresses our approach better than any marketing strategy.

In the Bible, at Matthew 7:12, Jesus said:

“In everything, then, do to others as you would have them do to you.”

This principle is often called the Golden Rule.

We believe it applies to business too.

We want customers to be honest with us, so we should be honest with them. We want suppliers and partners to respect us, so we should respect them. And if we don’t want another company spreading false or negative information about Dr Konkrete, we shouldn’t do that to another company.

That includes our competitors.

Competition doesn’t prevent us from treating people fairly.

Compete. Cooperate. Keep Building.

So if you’re comparing companies for a precast concrete fence, retaining wall, or another precast project, we genuinely encourage you to look at your options.

Ask questions. Compare products. Look at previous work. Compare pricing, schedules, manufacturing capabilities, and service. Then choose the company that fits your project.

Sometimes that will be Dr Konkrete. Sometimes it may be someone else.

We’ll continue competing, improving our products, developing new precast systems, and growing our manufacturing capabilities. But we’re also open to learning from others and cooperating when it makes sense.

Sometimes we compete. Sometimes we cooperate. Sometimes we learn from each other.

In the end, the customer should benefit from all three.

That’s what healthy competition means to us.

— Dr Konkrete