“This would be a great business if it weren’t for the competition!”

Unfortunately, the existence of the competition impacts every industry, every business and every sales position.  What the competition does or does not do can make a dramatic impact upon a company and a sales person.  That impact can range from squeezing you to the point where you go out of business on one extreme, to creating tremendous opportunities for growth and profits on the other.  The competition and their potential impact on your business is a fact of life.  No matter how hard you wish, you are not going to be able to make the competition go away.

While we can’t change the competition, we certainly are responsible for our attitudes and behaviors toward the competition.  What we say and how we act about the competition can have a daily bearing on our bottom lines.  An appropriate attitude and set of practices for dealing with the competition should be an essential part of every sales person’s repertoire.

This article is an attempt to describe some of the salient parts of that mindset.

1. Respect the competition.

Speaking badly about the competition, looking down on them, finding fault with them and generally disparaging them are all common behaviors that I see frequently among the companies with whom I work.

It is easy enough to understand why.  In sales meetings we are constantly told how our products stack up against the competition, what makes our service superior, why our people are more experienced and more knowledgeable than theirs, etc.

In my position as a consultant and sales educator, I am uniquely positioned to test the truth of these positions.  I’ve occasionally worked with a company, for example, and then a few years later found myself involved with one of their competitors.  Or, I may have two or more competitors in one of my seminars.  This unique position has allowed me the opportunity to make observations about these kinds of claims.

One of the observations I have made is this:  There is usually some degree of truth in the details of these elements.  Your hot new product may have several features that your competitor’s does not have, for example.  However, in the big picture, your competitor offers a sound business option to your customers.  While your new product contains some features that your competitor’s does not, his product probably contains some features that your product doesn’t contain.  And while you claim your service to be superior, so does he.  And your people are probably not any more experienced and knowledgeable than his people.  From the 10,000 foot high perspective, if your competitors were as flawed as you think they are, they wouldn’t be in business, and your customers wouldn’t be buying from them.

In all likelihood, your competition is made up of educated, committed people who are trying just as hard as you are to be a viable option to your customers, to conduct their businesses with integrity just like you, and who strive to do a good job and to provide for their families through the fruits of their labors, just like you.

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