Selling Against Your Competition

Sandler

Download The Whitepaper

How to Sell Against the Competition

Selling against the competition is inevitable in most markets. However, when you know prospects are considering competing offers, it can be difficult to approach them effectively. Fortunately, the sales experts at Sandler UK have a great deal of experience selling against competitors. This has meant they have developed many clever techniques for helping your pitch stand out from the crowd. In this guide, we will explore some of the top approaches. 

If your competition is doing it, stop doing it

Differentiation is the best way to ensure your offer stands out. If you are in a very competitive market, then establishing a USP will ensure you are offering something that the competition isn’t. Analysing your competitors’ approaches will help you see how you can do something better or different than them to help your brand and offer to stand out. Usually, some of the key differentiators to watch out for are quality, service, cost, reputation, expertise, legacy, resources, and people. Therefore, mentioning any of the above in your conversations with prospects is unlikely to give you an edge over the competition.

The nobody is perfect technique 

This technique involves carefully steering the conversation with prospects towards them discovering what aspect of your offers is better than the competition. It’s an example of reverse selling, this approach may surprise prospects who are usually only pitched to through more traditional techniques. 

It begins with validating the prospect’s decision with a phrase like: ‘I’ve heard they’re doing some good work’.

And then goes into investigating if there is anything the prospect wishes the competitors could do differently. ‘Nobody’s perfect though – what’s one thing they could do better?’. 

Getting these techniques right can take a bit of practice. We recommend you try roleplaying different scenarios with your colleagues and carefully consider all the competitors, their offers, and what your business can bring to customers that is different or better.

For more insights into how to sell against the competition, please download this full free guide and schedule a training session with our expert team. 

Sandler UK sales technique training

If you are looking for comprehensive training on sales techniques, questions strategies, and more, then Sandler UK has got you covered. We organise training sessions all over the country for sales professionals looking to hone their techniques. Plus, with over forty years in the sales training space, we have seen it all and have had the time to test and develop some very effective approaches. Feel free to join our trainers for a face-to-face training session at a local training centre, and contact us to learn how we can help your sales team improve. 

Get Your Free Copy Here