Chess game

The Most Valuable Lesson My Competitor Taught Me 

Sales| success mindset| Habits| Business Development
September 30, 2025•3 min read

I remember my first job in medical sales. I was selling medical supplies and I had a 2-state sales territory. The hospitals I called on had anywhere from 25 beds to 1500 beds - small and large. Day after day, week after week, and month after month, I was a road warrior! I remember being new and uncertain of myself. I was working for the company that had the smallest market share, only 3% at that time. The sales representative before me had left the territory and customers in a mess. Then I learned a lesson one day I will never forget.

One of my biggest customers was in Joplin, Missouri. It was a 4+ hour drive from St. Louis, my hometown. The materials manager I met told me at our first meeting, "your top competitor was here yesterday - they said that driving here is too far for them - so they won't be coming here to serve us as a customer." I could not believe what I just heard. What?!

I thought to myself: not only would I never say that to a customer, I learned that "simply showing up" is something I CAN do, even when I am uncertain of myself! That day I made it a priority to give this customer all of my attention. Not only did they end up being my largest account, but the relationships I built were also meaningful and we became business partners. I made it a point to treat all customers the same, despite size of the account, annual sales revenue, or geographic location. I learned how important it is to treat everyone with respect, and how I would want to be treated in a partnership. This quote came to my mind...

"Today I will multiply my value a hundredfold" - Og Mandino, "The Greatest Salesman in the World"

I will commit not the terrible crime of aiming too low.

I will do the work that a failure will not do.

I will always let my reach exceed my grasp.

I will never be content with my performance in the market. I will always raise my goals as soon as they are attained.

I will always strive to make the next hour better than this one.

These are my keys to adding maximum value to your clients, accounts, and customers to create raving fans and clients for life, and ideas for you to follow to win more partnerships:

  • I will always exceed expectations

  • I will under-promise and over-deliver

  • I will never speak negatively about my competition - I will only ask my clients what they want and need and assure them I can provide it

  • I will make it a habit to 'build the airplane while I am flying it' - I will never say 'I can't or I don't know how,' I will FIND a way and MAKE a way!

  • I will deliver value to my customers each day and in every interaction

  • Happy clients are the source of referrals, repeat revenue, and references

I think of you as a success-minded friend, and I am so excited and passionate about sharing my mission with you: to create breakthroughs in sales, confidence, and personal growth...one habit at a time.

competitionbusiness developmentprospectingclient successsuccess habits
Amy Lemire CSP DTM works with success-driven leaders and teams who want to be more, make more, and sell more with confidence, with momentum. She is the creator of “The Best Version of You: Success Habits Breakthrough” Program. For the past 10 years, she has trained thousands of sales and business professionals on standards of excellence, and mastery of the keys to success and the ‘Sales Confidence Code.’ Her focus is on how to win the inner game of self-confidence to drive peak performance results in sales, business, and speaking, through the mastery of success habits. After spending 2 decades in business-to-business and medical sales and training, Amy founded AIM Training and Consulting International. She is a certified “Habitfinder” Leadership Coach. Amy is the author of 2 books: “From Zero to Sales Hero,” and “From Zero to Speaker Hero.” Amy was recently designated as a Certified Speaking Professional, in March 2023, by the National Speakers Association, for delivering over 300 hours of training and speaking. She is also a VISTAGE-certified speaker. Amy is a Distinguished Toastmaster, the Past President of National Speakers Association, St Louis Chapter, and a Member of the National Speakers Association. She has been recognized as a Fortune 500 top sales performer and sales trainer for over 3 decades. When she is not working you may find her at local rock concert, personal development seminar, or at home with her husband Nigel and her cat Brianna.

Amy Lemire CSP

Amy Lemire CSP DTM works with success-driven leaders and teams who want to be more, make more, and sell more with confidence, with momentum. She is the creator of “The Best Version of You: Success Habits Breakthrough” Program. For the past 10 years, she has trained thousands of sales and business professionals on standards of excellence, and mastery of the keys to success and the ‘Sales Confidence Code.’ Her focus is on how to win the inner game of self-confidence to drive peak performance results in sales, business, and speaking, through the mastery of success habits. After spending 2 decades in business-to-business and medical sales and training, Amy founded AIM Training and Consulting International. She is a certified “Habitfinder” Leadership Coach. Amy is the author of 2 books: “From Zero to Sales Hero,” and “From Zero to Speaker Hero.” Amy was recently designated as a Certified Speaking Professional, in March 2023, by the National Speakers Association, for delivering over 300 hours of training and speaking. She is also a VISTAGE-certified speaker. Amy is a Distinguished Toastmaster, the Past President of National Speakers Association, St Louis Chapter, and a Member of the National Speakers Association. She has been recognized as a Fortune 500 top sales performer and sales trainer for over 3 decades. When she is not working you may find her at local rock concert, personal development seminar, or at home with her husband Nigel and her cat Brianna.

LinkedIn logo icon
Back to Blog