Last week I had a day in which three client appointments in a row told me nightmare stories about my competition. When I bumped into a client at the end of the day, the stories were still ringing in my ear. The client then made a comment about a particular competitor and then it happened, it just came out, in reference to the competitor I said, "Lipstick on a Pig".
Immediately upon saying it I knew I had crossed the line. My job is to listen, not provoke the conversation. I should know better. This is no way to win customers. I tried to soften the blow I had just given, I tried to take it back, but I knew it was too late. The damage had been done, and probably more to my detriment than to the competitors.
As I thought about my comment over the weekend I considered my formal sales training and what I've been trained to do in such situations. Regardless of the temptation to join in, a professional sales person must hold back.
We all have to be careful of comparison selling as anything we say negative about a competitor will have little credibility with the client. Our focus should be on our strengths, not their weaknesses. We should talk about our products and services, not their lack of products or poor services.
Slamming a competitor is simply bad business, regardless of the service they offer or offense they may have caused us. The best salespeople speak of their competition as good people and say little about the things they don't do well. They let their actions speak for themselves. When you're tempted as I was, DON'T SPEAK. My mom's counsel is ringing in my ears, "If you can't say something nice don't say anything at all". Negative comments are likely to do more harm than good.
Selling is about giving people a positive reason to do business with you. Build a case for youself and let the competition make you look good by comparison.
Comments(5)