There is something to be said for competitive intelligence.  It's very big in the SEO world (see what the site that outranks you does and improve upon it) and in most businesses.  Some companies have staff dedicated to it.

If you focus solely on what's in front of you, you miss opportunities to learn, grow and expand.  Take Barbara Todaro's answer for example.  She's focused on what the competition ignores.  If you don't do your research to see what groups the competition aren't serving, you may miss an area you could easily dominate.  It's like Katerina Gasset and Dario say the short phrases are dominated in the SERPs by Zillow, Realtor and the like.  But if you go for the long-tail words that they're ignoring, you can dominate there.

Now on the flip side, if you only focus on what others are doing you will have an extensive knowledge of what they do (which you could maybe sell consulting services for), but you won't have any practical application.

yes, and that's to my advantage..... they watch us and focus on what we're doing..... and we are focused on securing what they have missed....

I'm a competitor, not a copier!

Doesn't mean I don't pay attention to what is going on around me though!!  

"Keeping eyes on one's paper" is a good idea and a solution for many issues. Followed by some and ignored by others.  An issue long before I was here, likely long after too. 

I think that people are looking for 'creative ways' not to work hence the constant search for that shiny object.

As Susan Emo says, I watch what's on my paper, head down.

I stay in my lane and focus on what I am doing, that's what I have control over. 

Nosey neighbors are part of human nature, and common on AR too.

That's it! I'm getting a bolo!
👒👑🎩🧢

I don't have an answer to this question, as I pay very little attention to what others area doing. But that doesn't mean I don't pay attention to what may be new/effective when I see it.

I was always an out-of-the-box kind of gal.  I looked at what others were doing and tried to figure out how to do things differently to stand out from the masses. Different has to be better though... not just to be different. 

We compete. We do not copy. We strive to be successful and excel not matter what and in spite of what others are doing.

You have to look around and assess. That is what contrast is for...

You mean something like this Wanda, it's a favorite.

Right! That's a good one one Wanda.  It think it's called 'focus on the knitting'.

Many agents are too busy watching others rather than taking car eof their own business. I find it funny when other agents ask how i got this listing or that listing

Nothing new here, but that is the way the world operates.

I don't know because I am focusing on my own business.

Passion and fire in your belly leads to blazing your own trail. It does not feel like work when you reinvent your job daily. Grab a bigger bite of the local market than others in it wished you did makes it a sport. Or you are in the wrong profession. Schools can be a bubble that students game the system but don't have the life skills and rigor to make it outside that bubble. 

Hopefully, the competition will continue to lose focus.

The real estate industry has not cornered that market! It is age old and will likely continue for eternity.  Ryan Huggins - Thousand Oaks, CA spells it out nicely. 

Some do

I think it's OK to occasionally research what the competition is doing. The idea is that if they are finding success in something you are not aware of you've learned something. If they're paying attention for any reason other than self improvement then they are just wasting their time. 

This point pertains to most any part of life let alone biz.

That's just human nature. Another reason we have rear view mirrors on our cars

Those who acclaim they keep their eyes on their own paper live in a small world.

The FAST track to some success is emulation those who have traveled the way. When we hire a coach or marketing company, we are expecting THEM to leverage what has worked for others to give us an advantage.

Rather than what is in front of them....hmmmmmmm....

Some won't answer their door let alone knock on one. Some screen all call from numbers they don't recognize and say they would NEVER call someone.

What I observ is too many people warming a stool in a class room hoping a clue will cross their path. I really don't care if someone is copying another effort or running the in light they have, IF THEY DO SOMETHING, STUFF HAPPENS!

I think that is an accurate statement. 

I looked for ideas and how I could twist them to benefit me.

Wow, that's a really broad question, I don't know how to answer that...

Wanda,

Since part of my job is to see what is working or not working in branding and marketing, I do focus on that.  However our focus is on our clients and their success.  A

I like to come up on things that no one else is doing to make  me stand out different.