By Rufus Mudsucker (bio)

In the rent to own business, as with any other, there are two ways to play the game; Defensively, where you spend time looking over your shoulder, watching your competitors every move and constantly reacting. Or offensively, where you enter a market intent on domination. As my dear sweet mother used to say, "Find the biggest SOB in the market and hit him so hard he forgets who he is." She would add with a smile, "and keep hitting him until he calls you and offers to sell out for 4 times revenue."

Followers play defense
If you find yourself constantly reacting to your competition, or copying your competitions latest promotion, you are a follower. If you have ever taken part in the age old art of dumpster diving, or say negative things about a competitor just to close the sale, or write the agreement, or sell the ad, you are a follower and true success (being the best at what you do) will elude you forever.

Leaders play offense
Leaders are never satisfied with their performance even though others are. They constantly raise the bar for personal performance. Leaders waste no energy worrying about what others do or how the competition will react. They wake up in the morning with the absolute conviction in their superiority and focus on beating last weeks numbers.

High Expectations
Although leaders come in all shapes and sizes, they share common traits. Leaders hold themselves to a higher standard and typically set unrealistic expectations for themselves. Not because it's required by the organization, but because an average existence is repulsive to them. Nothing les than being the best is acceptable. Why others may admire what a leader has accomplished, he/she has already moved on to the next challenge.

Whether you are in sales, rent to own, or any other enterprise, your goal should be to become so overwhelmingly superior that there simply is no valid comparison. The only thing left to do is compare your performance today, with your own performance yesterday.