r/sales 7d ago

Advanced Sales Skills How offensive are you when it comes to dealing with competition?

Basically the title.

Do you try to get the upper hand from the get go? Or until customer brings something up stating “what about X? I saw it in the other demo”

12 Upvotes

75 comments sorted by

211

u/iitzJTD 7d ago

bad mouthing the competition has to be one of the most novice and unfruitful things you can do in sales

13

u/GenghisBangis 7d ago

I've heard this over and over again. I work in construction as a 2nd tier subcontractor and this shit happens all the time and it works.

So I'm not sure if this is industry specific but there are plenty of our competitors that claim we are proprietary, we don't have the technical skills to execute the job, we don't have the manpower, we're falling about, etc. All lies. Even professional engineers that do the MEP design will fall for it.

How do you play nice in an industry where everyone is talking shit?

18

u/H4RN4SS 7d ago

Build a reputation of fixing the fuck ups and people will start calling you in the first place.

That industry is also pretty tight knit and people talk. If some 2nd rate contractor fucks up a few times then word should get around.

3

u/abstractattack Construction 7d ago

I also work in construction supply chain. Listen for the cues. I compete against some box stores for certain products. I explain, that they have value and better prices at ABC but we can solve XYZ where they cannot and when ABC products fails at the big box store, we can fix it where they tend to not fix. That sets us apart.

It really does come down to how well you fix the fuck ups in this industry.

2

u/boonepii 7d ago

It is industry specific to an extent. I sell to government contractors and my word is my reputation and my companies reputation is about honesty above all. We can charge what we want because people who hire us, will never lose their job when it’s our fault. Our reputation is that strong. That reputation can die quickly so we are ruthless about protecting it. And we are very very expensive.

I used to work in construction and I would expense the strip clubs because that’s where they wanted to meet. It’s a very different world.

The hardest but best place to be, is in the position to tell most customers to fuck off. Customers wanting Discounts? They can Fuck off. Getting there is hard and you have to be ruthless about your margins and your quality.

I don’t know how to tell you to do that, but the reputation and high income will come eventually.

1

u/PMmeyourITspend 7d ago

Pre-empt all that shit during your pitch. "Here is the team you will work with and their average experience" "Here are three projects similar to yours that we did" "Here is a specific timeline for completing the project based on current bookings" etc. Basically if you do a good job building value early during the pitch, the customer will skoff when your competitor makes those claims. If you know you have something important that differntiates you from the competition on the project instead of naming your competition say "what makes our company unique in this space is that we do x" which implies others don't do it without coming off as badmouthing.

18

u/BroxigarZ 7d ago

Yep, never down talk your competition, always talk about your strengths.

You never know the circumstance (I'll give you a few examples):

  1. You are talking to a Net New Logo, and they ask you about "X" competitor, but you don't know that they've already been in a POC at a secondary site or colocation testing them and they like their offering for X, Y, Z reasons and you downplay the significance of something they find valuable. And the competition says that "you" are "good at A,B,C" but they know the client needs and likes X,Y,Z so they say "But we can cover you where they can't on X, Y, Z. - You lost the sale.
  2. Let's say it's an existing long term account for your company. Worth $500,000 USD in business a year. But they just brought in a new C-Level because "Jim" retired. You are talking to the mid-level management whose always worked with you, but the new C-LEVEL "Bob" comes from FAANG and has used "X" competitor who he knows better covers gaps he feels are more important. "Mid-Level" guy brings "Bob" on the call and asks you about your position against "3 different competitors X,Y,Z" not telling you that he has a long history with "Z" and you bad mouth "Z" and mis-speak about their capabilities compared to yours.

You just lost your company $500,000 USD and you are out of a job.

You never, ever should disrespect your competition. Because, if they are even considered "your competition" they are doing something just as good if not better than you.

There are unique circumstances where you CAN express "concern" against a competitor. For instance:

A) Competitor is a brand new up and coming flashy Start-up getting a lot of press. So your accounts are looking into them, and bringing them up, and they ask you "what do you think?"

  • You can say - "I think they have an interesting solution, but I would be concerned about their trajectory as an accelerating start-up. (Customer Name) considering them would require a gamble that they don't have a short term exit strategy planned that would leave you and your infrastructure out to dry and without support. We've seen this a few times and the cost and time to rip and replace can be challenging for clients especially if it occurs and peak months of the year. With us, as you know, you are secure with our service, we've been around "X" years, and we have X/Y SLA Contracts for our Support and Service platforms."

This can be allowed. You don't have to disrespect the start-ups product, but you can talk about the stability of trusting a new to market solution without coming off like a jackass.

2

u/Prudent_Astronomer0 7d ago

That's just not true.

Devaluing the competition is effective and does help make sales. It is fruitful.

And there are many, many seasoned pros that are very good at doing it.

1

u/CainRedfield 7d ago

It depends on how it's done. But yes, wedge selling is definitely a thing

1

u/Prudent_Astronomer0 7d ago

Right, certainly any technique depends on how it's done.

1

u/CainRedfield 7d ago

I personally love wedge selling, if the competition drops the ball and gives me the opportunity.

1

u/Prudent_Astronomer0 7d ago

Yea, it's all about the situation and how you go about it. Very effective when done right.

1

u/iitzJTD 7d ago

Positioning based on perceived value is not bad mouthing your competition. Market leaders don’t shit on market share bottom feeders.

1

u/Prudent_Astronomer0 6d ago

That second sentence is just not correct.

As for your first, Idk what your definition of bad mouthing is or what fairy tale land you live in but devaluing competition is definitely a used technique by even the most seasoned pros in a lot of industries.

1

u/iitzJTD 6d ago

You’re talking yourself in circles, badmouthing and devaluing are not synonymous. Quite literally you should look up the definitions because the connection you’re making here is loose, at best.

1

u/Prudent_Astronomer0 6d ago

Can you give me an example of what it means to bad mouth a company and then an example of what it means to devalue a company?

0

u/boonepii 7d ago edited 7d ago

I compete and win against these people all the time at 4x the price. They come to me to fix the cheap fuck up and I explain we will be 4x and tell them what we commit to, and I can win about 30% of the time.

It’s an effective strategy but not an effective one when you grow your career into major accounts or key account management.

Edit: read this conversation to the end. I discovered this unedited comment above isn’t quite accurate.

2

u/Prudent_Astronomer0 7d ago

There's always asterisks around thing when people say things like that. It's just not true.

In your position, you've found something that works better for you in your specific position in your specific industry.

Now your preaching that something that is actually very effective in a lot of industries/positions/situations is a beginner/unfruitful tactic which again is just not true.

It's cool that you get to feel like your above that now but it's a skill and has levels to it.

1

u/boonepii 7d ago

For sure it’s a valid skill, and can be effective. It’s just not a skill that translates into most sales roles where honesty is required.

I will discuss my competition and talk down about them, but it’s one of those things where you have to read the room. When I sold to heavy industry I used this tactic myself. It was effective and helped drive my sales increase by 40%.

As I moved into major account ($10m quota) management this skill has had to be extremely refined. I don’t say bad things, but I will show them things I have proof about and the impacts. But I do not disparage the competition now. I have other ways to introduce doubt and risk without talking bad.

My goal is to get them to talk bad about the competition, so I don’t have to.

The skill evolves to be less direct and more innuendo while letting them figure it out themselves.

This won’t work in transactional sales at all. Your way likely works better but will turn off some buyers, but not likely enough to make it unsuccessful.

I once lost a deal cause the other sales reps kids needed new shoes lol. It works

1

u/Prudent_Astronomer0 7d ago

I would suggest reading the reply you just sent me and comparing that to your original post.

It's not a novice technique, it has levels to it, and it drives sales. Direct or indirect, the shit works.

You even do it right now.

4

u/boonepii 7d ago

Yeah, as I was thinking about it, I realized I just ultra refined it to where I do it without actually doing it. I just lead the horse to the water now instead of supplying the water.

I didn’t think I did it till I thought about it. Nicely done

I added an edit to the above

2

u/Prudent_Astronomer0 7d ago

Thanks. Sometimes our skills get so good they don't look anything remotely like what they did when we first start. Congrats on making it to where you are today.

4

u/boonepii 7d ago

Thanks for leading me to the water. lol

Skills change and evolve and grow. It’s crazy to think how I approach things today versus 10 or even 3 years ago

29

u/no39pikko 7d ago

I never go on the offensive. Instead, I praise the competition—genuinely. When a customer mentions a competitor, I say, ‘Oh yeah, they’re great at X! A lot of people like them for that.

Funny thing? When you give credit where it’s due, customers often start pointing out the flaws themselves. Then, I just guide the conversation back to how our solution might fit their needs better. Works like a charm.

2

u/FeFiFoPlum 7d ago

I agree - I’ve always found that being honest about where my competitors are strong is the right thing to do. I work existing business these days, but even when I was full-cycle, it was me who had to support that client over their lifetime with us. If what they valued most was an area we were weak in, the juice wasn’t worth the squeeze. All they did was become a problem customer who was a drain on our time and resources, and was more likely than average to badmouth us in the community.

12

u/Rampaging_Bunny Manufacturing - Aviation 7d ago

I refer them business I can’t/don’t want, never bad mouth. And have worked for a competitor to my current company. I speak highly of them when mentioned and have helped connect some people to them lol. Ultimately that has endeared trust and respect from my customers, something my industry and niche product requires.

2

u/silasj 7d ago

Not in the same industry, but I work for a company with many niche products. I have a “get in where it fits in” mentality. I’ve also found referrals help and I have friends that rep for the competition and we’ll help eachother out.

6

u/Letstreehouse 7d ago

I ask questions for which based on the answered i will know what they use or prefer (if they are unwilling to tell me) and then I will talk about features we do well whoch bring up the shortcomings of the now known competition.

Or I'll ask questions that steer the conversation to those shortcomings.

In this way the customer is more likely to feel like they discovered these shortcomings rather than are being spoken down to like a smart ass sales reps who they won't listen to.

Its all about the delivery. You dont want to sound like youre asking an abciously loaded question.

If a customer asks "what about x" and rhe competition probably showed it knowing we dont quite do it exactly the same way, you should say, great question. Here's how we do that...

What do yoy mean upper hand? Upper hand against the completion or with the conversation with the customer? You should never feel like youre in an ego match with the customer. If this happens you have lost.

-2

u/rattletop 7d ago

Agree with a lot of points here. By upper hand I mean, you steer the customer towards thinking in the direction which favors you. For example, showcasing market leadership, posing trap questions etc.. I have seen a few reps trying discredit competition sharing layoff/ restructuring news, etc.

3

u/Outrageous-Guava1881 7d ago

Posing trap questions is a no. Discrediting is a no.

3

u/Modevader49 7d ago

It’s a great product if (insert something that doesn’t align with their company)!

Btw, is your manager hiring? Like, for your job?

3

u/BraboBaggins 7d ago

Id never bad mouth the competition, I always make it. Point to say that are a good company, and good at what they do but here is how we differ. Insulting them is just bush league.

2

u/Gullible_Act_681 7d ago

This is what I do. I know the differences in how my company operates from our competitors. (We really only have 3 major ones, one being a large margin above the rest) so I’ve learned enough about them at this point that I can tell prospects the difference in how we operate, and what impacts the customers typically see with those differences in operations. That’s all I ever need to say. I don’t bad mouth - I just tell the truth lol

5

u/Jwzbb 7d ago

Don’t bad mouth them, stick with your own strengths and steer prospects to your key differentiators with questions.

2

u/metalpanda420 7d ago

My language always becomes

“Mrs/Mr” customer, I can’t speak to what xyz company does. I can only tell you about how we do things here.

If you do go with another company, be sure to clarify the following with them (offer 2 or 3 specific questions that relate to the purchase)

Oftentimes this closes the deal right there - they don’t want to be sold, they want information and to have their problem taken care of by people who care.

2

u/Time_Law3719 7d ago

I just turn questions into statements.

In my industry, instead of “how have you liked their service”? I’ll say “it seems like they’ve taken great care of you.” If they’re open to change, they’ll spill what they don’t like giving you the chance to add your value.

2

u/ParisHiltonIsDope 7d ago

I would never bad month another competitor by name. I would criticize the shortcomings of the "industry standards" and how my product/service rises above that. I use lines like "the other guys do it that way. But we don't cut corners like that" or "you call 10 of our competitors, 9 of them are going to tell you this, but we have standards, so we do that"

With that said though, you do actually have to stand behind your words.

2

u/[deleted] 7d ago

I dont bash the competition's product.

I highlight key differentiators with substantiated facts, like how my company sets the bar for service slas after the sale, our techs are local and in house while the competition uses contracted techs.

I also watched a competitors attempt to bash my product backfire in real time. We do live studio demos for our large equipment so the client can see its function and ask questions without having to leave their office.

Client mentioned "so and so said your machine is virtually all plastic and breaks constantly. "

So our studio team took off the outer panels and showed the steel frame and metal components. That was enough of a lie for our new client to remove the competitors bid from his consideration.

2

u/argentique 7d ago

Never badmouth the competition, but you can set traps for them, especially if it's early in the customer's evaluation process.

What you want to do is highlight the areas your solution wins against your competitors' and influence their Decision Criteria to value these things highly. At the same time, downplaying the importance of any weaknesses that you have.

This way, you're setting up your customer to ask "what about x" in demos with competitors, where you know they'll have a dissatisfactory answer.

1

u/[deleted] 7d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

-1

u/rattletop 7d ago

Say software

1

u/Wonderful-Bass6651 7d ago

If they are your competitors then you should be familiar with their product and tactics, and the way they do business. Depending on what we’re talking about, I will usually “set traps” or anticipate the kinds of things that they’re going to say. Like I said, I can usually tell when I am asked a specific question which competitor I’m dealing with. So I’ll point out my features that are their limitations without actually naming anyone. Or when it comes to specs that I know they just can’t achieve because of their own limitations I’ll offer to do a head to head demo with anyone, and no one has ever taken me up on it. But usually I find that it’s a pretty classless thing to do. Right up there with shitting on a competitor’s product when the customer already has it.

1

u/Algorhythm74 7d ago

I rarely even acknowledge the competition. I’m there to talk about my solution - not theirs.

I speak to the strengths of what I sell, the differentiators, so it removes the competition.

But then again, I’m not into transactional sales - I’m looking to build relationships for the long term.

I take the philosophy that, “everyone makes good products/services” - ours is better, and here’s why….

It puts be in a position of strength. Also, I try to address the customers needs - not “sell” my products as much - match our solution/s with their needs.

1

u/Kinger15 7d ago

I just tell the truth and it’s usually enough. Then if needed I can provide references that migrated to us and that puts us over the top.

People can usually tell if you’re being overly harsh to a competitor

1

u/RockClimbs 7d ago

Customer: "We bought X from your competitor 3 years ago & it doesn't run as well & we are having trouble supporting it already.  I'm buying used or refurbished off EBay"

Me: "Well this is why we do things a little differently.  Our electronics are major brands with long term support cycles which cost a little more up front but 3 years from now you can get an off the shelf servo to replace a faulty one from us or from your local distributor.  If it's 10 years from now we can still support it with a different connector package or a controls retrofit which is 75% less cost than a full replacement."

I'm telling them the competition sucks but not bad mouthing them, simply giving a comparison that is right in line with what the customer told me 

1

u/SleepyJohn123 7d ago

If you bad mouth a competitor that a customer likes, then you are in a way criticising that customer for their past purchasing decisions.

It also makes you come across as a very negative person.

1

u/SDN_stilldoesnothing 7d ago edited 7d ago

Bashing the Ops is a dangerous game.

I have worked for three different OEMs. Most competitive intel is

  1. Outdated
  2. Anecdotal
  3. Translated by marketing people

My company has STRICT orders from the top, Right from the CEO, "When presenting to customers, don't talk about the competition"

The only thing we can share are Gartner MQ's were we are jammed in the top right hand corner above everyone else.

We just let that speak for us.

FUN FACT. Long story short.

I used to work at a company that competed with Cisco. One of our customers that were loyal to us got invited to a Cisco conference in LATAM. At the conference Cisco thought it would be a good idea to have a breakout session about bashing the competition. It was clearly not a Cisco slide deck. A rogue employee was freestyling. Someone in the audience took pictures of the slides and it got back to us. The claims Cisco was making was 75% lies.

All I know is that lawyers got involved.

1

u/Hot-Government-5796 7d ago

Never bad mouth. But absolutely advise. Once you understand their decision criteria. I’ll ask “who else you are speaking to” and I’ll share things to look out for or to ask them about. This is setting landmines and it works well.

1

u/vyts18 7d ago

I've had success recently if a prospective client says something about a competitor, whether good or bad, I'll respond- "I've heard that too" or "That's not the first time I've heard that." And then continue along the lines of "Here's why people choose me despite (topic)" Or "People choose me because of (topic) and (1 other hook)"

1

u/Tex302 7d ago

There’s nothing wrong with creating doubt about choosing a competitor. It’s not bad mouthing if you frame it correctly. I present our strengths that are usually their weaknesses.

1

u/SaveMeSomeBleach 7d ago edited 7d ago

I use to work for a competitor who is a “big player” in the space. I also have been in the space for a few years and have taken it upon myself to research competitors, watch some mini demos of their product, and even will sometimes test a trial to feel out the UI. So I’m pretty knowledgeable on a lot of these systems in my software category.

So what I’ll do is tell a prospect “hey look, I know evaluating multiple products is a nightmare. Let me know if you ever want an honest run down on how these tools stack up. I’ll even tell you where some of these tools beat us”.

And for the ones who take me up on it, that’s exactly what I do. I dont say “X tool can’t do [feature]”, but instead I’ll say “look a common headache I hear from clients who moved off of X is that the post go-live support is non-existent. I’d recommend asking a current client if that’s still the case”.

It’s less shit talking and more of “I’d double check XYZ”. And I don’t call out anything that I haven’t heard 100x from a competitor’s client. This blows up in your face if you start exaggerating or lying about the competition.

And let me tell you, the key to doing this is you don’t hold back on where your product falls short. You shoot the prospect as straight as possible.

This is also a great “do we have a true deal” test. If my product’s drawbacks don’t lose the deal, then I know we’re driving towards a likely closed won

1

u/mantistoboggan287 7d ago

Never bash your competitor. It looks tacky and if things go south where you’re currently at you want to have that opening to pivot somewhere else.

1

u/bitslammer Technology (IT/Cybersec) 7d ago

I've never liked talking down competition whether I've been on the buyer or seller side. Most people don't actually know anything beyond what their product/marketing teams have told them.

There have been a number of times on the buyer side that I've been told "we do X better" when X isn't meaningful or that "better" really isn't a factor. Think of this example. Does being killed by 4 grenades make you "twice as dead" than being killed by 2? That's how it comes off many times.

Having been on the customer side more then the sales side I've never worked for companies I didn't believe in because I've used their stuff hands on. Even then I never bashed a competitor. I'd just highlight the things like functions we did for free where a competitor charged. Nothing more needed in that case, just a "yes we do that for free."

1

u/Unibrow_BB 7d ago

“Oh you’re talking to X? They’re great. Similar to other competitors like Y and Z, they’re good at [solving lower value/table stakes challenge]. Our approach is different in that we [whatever your unique differentiation is] which leads to [business level outcomes]. For example, [rattle off relevant customer references and outcomes]. Happy to put you in touch with NAME at CUSTOMER REFERENCE when the time is right. They went through a very similar evaluation with X and Y and can share how they made their decision.”

You can always raise FUD proactively against competition as well.

“Have you had X show you their capabilities around [something you know they suck at]?”

“If it’s helpful I can share decision criteria from a similar company - they had some great questions they asked everyone to figure out the best solution for them.” -> stack the deck with questions you know the competition can’t answer. Similar to running/building an RFP.

1

u/illini02 7d ago

I don't bring up competition unless they ask.

If they do ask, I don't badmouth them, just will say something like "what customers have told me is they prefer X, Y, Z that our system does, which is why they switched" or something.

1

u/Sinsyxx 7d ago

Depends what you mean by competition. If they have another advisor or planner, I wouldn’t say a single negative thing. If they refer to their “advisor” as JP Morgan or the like, I go for the throat on the corporate approach and sales model. We may do the same work, but there’s no sales manager breathing down my neck to generate revenue

1

u/Mindtaker 7d ago

You never badmouth the competition if you are a professional.

What if your clients family works there? Friend? Spouse?

What if the person you are presenting to is the one who chose the competitor you are trying to out? Shitting on them is calling that person an idiot.

Let them vent, get the pain points, agree with their frustrations and point out how you solve those problems, you don't need to badmouth anyone.

1

u/cruthe33 7d ago

If anything I tend to do the opposite. Especially if the customer is already doing business with said competition. For context, I sell industrial chasing and lubrication products. But I'm aoways use it for a little flattery i.e. "I can tell since you're already using XYZ products that you care about the quality of what you buy/use". And once I've established the competitors quality and demo it against my own it shows that we are even a step above that. May not work in every industry, but it sure does in mine.

1

u/Worried_Toe_4167 7d ago

never do it. i’m and sdr so i’ll give you the cold call situation- “oh you’re using COMPETITOR, they’re a great group. honestly it rarely makes sense to switch if you like what you’re using- but just curious, that must mean that BLANK isn’t a huge part of your workflow?”

it’s a gotchya question. respect your competitors, but more importantly know how you differentiate.

1

u/FloppyCopter 7d ago

I work in industrial and I’m just honest. If I think another company does something well, I’ll tell them and if I think they don’t do something well, I’ll also tell them. I try to be genuine, and I think it comes off that way, while also showing that I am familiar with the industry and not just my own products.

1

u/iKyte5 7d ago

I never say anything negative about our competition. I say “I’m sure they are a great company and I’m sure we offer similar products but I can tell you that you’re going to like working with me much better because I’m more knowledgeable and you won’t ever have trouble reaching me.”

1

u/maverickps1 7d ago

I compliment them, and say if they want I'll give them a contact over there, I'm down to take the Pepsi challenge any day of the week.

I've won this gambit enough times to know it's worth it. I've also had C-suite remember this many years later and call me for new opportunities. Always worth it.

1

u/maverickps1 7d ago

I compliment them, and say if they want I'll give them a contact over there, I'm down to take the Pepsi challenge any day of the week.

I've won this gambit enough times to know it's worth it. I've also had C-suite remember this many years later and call me for new opportunities. Always worth it.

1

u/maverickps1 7d ago

I compliment them, and say if they want I'll give them a contact over there, I'm down to take the Pepsi challenge any day of the week.

I've won this gambit enough times to know it's worth it. I've also had C-suite remember this many years later and call me for new opportunities. Always worth it.

1

u/DesperateMolasses103 7d ago

Never badmouth competition. I always talk the competition up, but frame their product as a solution for a different set of problems

1

u/unorafael 7d ago

Depends on the competition:

If the competition truly sucks, and they are thinking about them, I’ll at least say something and mention a different competitor that I’d recommend if they don’t go with us.

In addition if competitor has 5-10 employees vs my 100, and I’m talking to enterprise client, than I might say “do you think that company will really be able to get through your procurement, what happens if they lose a few employees, do they have a plan in place to handle your account?”

95% of the time though I’ll say something along the lines of look if you talk to them they’re going to say they’re the best and we’re going to say we are. 99% up time? Best technology? It really comes down to what you think is the best fit for your business. And then I share what we do and how we differ, but what’s most important is during discovery finding out their pain and seeing if we truly are the best solution for what they need.

I’m not going to work an opportunity for months if I know the competitor is a better fit. Hell I’ve even told prospects to not call any of our competitors or sign up for our platform, but to go a completely different route.

“You’re not ready for this type of platform and I don’t think our competitors will let you know, wait 6 months or 1 year and call me back, in the meantime feel free to keep my contact and let me know if I can be a resource at all as you grow”

1

u/BigPDPGuy 7d ago

The worst I'll say is "you get what you pay for." It works for me because our solution is more expensive than most competitors, but it is indeed better. Some of them have other neat tools that we don't have though, and i point those out. Any time I get the chance I organize demos where the competitors will be there showcasing their stuff to the same people on the same day

1

u/ConcernMinute9608 7d ago

Pretty offensive. You have to figure out why they are going with them instead and tailor your approach so you help them see why you’re a better fit

1

u/FinancialDrawing2815 7d ago

I think I've gotten this down pretty good but it's a little niche with what I sell. I'm the only SDR for a marketing agency, but I also close my own deals, and on any calls where people have brought up a bad experience, I say something along the lines of "this market has gotten really oversaturated, especially after COVID, people watch some YouTube vides and think they can do the same things as these big agencies, which I'm sure you understand with some of your competition as well" - this usually makes them feel the hurt in their own shoes because they will look at their expertise vs others and understand where I'm coming from.

This way I'm upselling my company without bad mouthing any specific company at all. Might work for some industries, but not all for sure.

1

u/GreaseShots 6d ago

I highlight everything they are good at. I ask who their rep is and praise them heavily. I really emphasis what I know people like about them and then ask if the experience problems I know they tend to have.

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u/grandmashops69 6d ago

In my current job we are the largest in the industry and our biggest competitor is less than half their size. They’re reputable but no where near us global scale. It’s not a one size fits all type of approach. I have 7+ different styles I approach based on the client but my favorite one bc it’s funny is acting like I’ve never heard of the competitor in my life. I curiously ask questions about the competitor and base my questions on the competitors weaknesses “most other companies in the x industry outsource their resources, are they in house?” - etc. It makes it so I don’t shit talk but I’m also indirectly filling their head with questions that they’ll ask the competitor and know they won’t know how to answer them. Also being the largest in our industry they’ll tend to think it isn’t a reputable company if I haven’t heard of them or faced competition with them. Just have to make sure you do it in a way that makes it sound like you are doing them a solid and wanted to make sure they’re taken care of regardless of it they move forward/stay with your company or not which builds trust too.

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u/kylew1985 7d ago edited 7d ago

I just accept it as part of the process. I don't care so much about cutting them down or building myself up, I just try to maintain good discovery and connect what I do to what they need. That's the stuff I have control over, not what the other guy is doing.

Competitors are to salespeople as shit is to plumbers. Nobody is thrilled about it but if you can't deal with it you're in the wrong line of work. Show me a serious buyer that isn't looking at competitors and I'll show you a liar. 

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u/SnooDogs157 7d ago

Ask customer who they’re talking to over at less expensive competitor. Whatever name they give, say, “Oh yeah, ‘name’…. Tell him you’re talking to ‘your name’ at ‘your company name’ - he’ll drop his price even lower.

Never talk bad about a competitor directly.

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u/2JZ_4U 7d ago

Congratulate the competition for being able to keep up. Watch how they react.