Consider Your Customer Before Your Competition

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I turned beet red, stammered an apology and retreated quickly. That incident has stuck with me for decades.

At this point, there is a question which naturally occurs. If I don’t want to speak badly about the competition, how do I present the advantages of my offer relative to the other guy’s?

I believe this approach to be the most effective in the long term, because it focuses on the customer, not the competitor.

If you have done an accurate, detailed job of understanding the full nature of your customer’s situation, and have presented a solution that precisely meets the customer’s requirements, what difference does it make who the competition is, or what the competition does?

The issue is not the competition; it is your own ability to albania telegram data meet the customer’s needs. Your mindset, from the beginning, is not a bit focused on the competition, but rather is 100% targeted to completely understanding the customer’s requirements. The conversation is not about how you compare to the competition, but rather how you meet the customer’s needs.

Obviously, this approach is not for every selling situation. It requires a commitment on the part of the salesperson to spend time with the customer in order to fully understand his needs. It assumes that you have the ability to shape an offer that meets the customer’s needs. And, it requires a more professional self-image on the part of the salesperson, who sees himself/herself as a “consultant” to the customer.

If your routine is limited to asking for the technical specifications and then quoting prices, this approach is going to be outside of your reach. In the long run, however, it provides the ultimate response to the competitor’s presence in your accounts.

Speak In Generalized Terms About The Competition
It is more effective and more professional to speak in general terms about the class of competitor than it is to speak specifically about a particular company or person.

For example, if you want to make the point that you favorably compare to X Company (that national competitor), say something like this:

“Generally, large national companies are more concerned about their own financial performance than they are the needs of the local customers. Since we’re local and family owned, we highly value every customer, and that translates itself into more personal and responsive service.”