The following 4 new ways to trump your competition will give you all the edge you need to entice your prospects to close the sale, and come to the other side.
1. Make Recommendations- When your potential customer informs you they already are “working with someone”, you can still provide some value to their time and meeting with you by providing some recommendations or solutions for their business challenges. For example, you might suggest that if they are ever looking for a different product, that you offer XYZ. Planting the seed and leaving a good impression while they’re working with someone else is a strong strategy in earning future business.
2. Ask to Share Contact Information- Because companies and products are always changing, it makes sense to ask for contact information for future reference. If you have a brand new shiny product you want to share, asking for their contact information first is a bit of insurance for how that later pitch might be received.
3. Don’t Bash Your Competition- Once you find out your lead is already “taken”, your first instinct might be to tell them the company or person they’re currently working with sucks. Don’t do it. In fact, find something you DO like or respect about that company and provide an authentic (as possible) compliment. Nobody wants to hear you diss the services they’re likely paying good money for. You’re not there to criticize their current choices. You’re there to understand WHY they are using someone else, and then pitch what you could do differently.
4. Understand Their Needs- Now that you know what your customer likes about the current company, you can work on your sales strategy to win them over to the other side. Don’t do this in all one visit or call. Instead, go through your notes, evaluate their business, discover what challenges you could alleviate or which needs you could provide, and then reach out again with a fully developed game plan.
Trumping your sales competition isn’t rocket science. Always remember the following:
If they feel pressure from you, the answer is no.
If they feel like you’re trying too hard to be liked, the answer is no.
If they don’t think you understand their business, the answer is no.
If they get overwhelmed by what you’re saying, the answer is no.
Learn to drop your sales and marketing hat, and instead act as though you already have the job. By doing this you change the relationship into a collaborative effort from the very beginning. Instead of being “sold” your services or products, your leads will see you as someone who has joined their team to help them achieve their sales goals.
