There are many important attributes to being a top sales professional that come naturally. As Daniel Pink explains in his book, “To Sell is Human”, the modern salesperson needs Attunement, Buoyancy, and Clarity to be successful. There are other sales skills you learn over time, and in your business, like understanding and selling your product, how to frame your sales call and how to sell the success stories of your clients. One of the biggest things that is frequently missed is to how to correctly sell against your competition. Here are some ways to help with this.
Never bad mouth your competition
Start with this very simple rule..It may seem obvious. But you’d be surprised how many time people do this. You can always tell by the questions the buyer asks , especially if you are not the first to present. Always make sure you approach talking about your competition in a professional manor. Make sure you carefully select the language you use to explain how you are better so you aren’t damning in any way.
Think about how your competitors sell and what their USP’s are…
Start by understanding your competitor’s products completely. Know their strengths and their weaknesses. Then, based on your customer’s needs, focus in on your competitor’s weakness to push home the strengths of your product or service and USP. If you do this effectively they’ll be able to see you as a better solution to their problem.
Make sure you take time to explain your service model and pricing
Take the time to share your value proposition with your prospect compared to that of your competition. Make sure that they understand all the things that you will be doing for them behind the scenes that they may not know about. When they see all the time and effort that you put into servicing your customers they will be able to justify any difference in pricing because of the added value you offer. This should give you a better chance of winning their business.
Be honest and transparent
Being honest and transparent is especially important when being asked direct questions about your competition. Always answer them in a diplomatic, direct and confident way to backup your knowledge. If you don’t know the answer don’t make it up! Go find the answer. Your sales prospect will always appreciate your honesty. If you follow this path it will always lead to the best result.
Use competitor wins
When the time is right in the sales process, use your success stories of wins from competitors. It is great to show how a client has moved over to you and how you have delivered more value as well as better ROI. It will give your sales prospect more confidence about working with you.
Selling against the competition can be tricky. Don’t fall into the trap of bad-mouthing them. It will make you look unprofessional. Taking the time to really know your competition, and what makes you a better choice, will make you look that much better in the eyes of your customer. Reviewing your service model will help them to quantify the value you offer. Honesty will increase their trust in you. And sharing why customers have come to you from the competition will increase your prospects’ confidence in the decision to select your product and service as their own.
I hope this helps
