Use Competitors to Build Trust and Confidence

A counterintuitive but powerful sales strategy is to actively encourage prospects to research your competitors. This approach, when executed correctly, demonstrates confidence in your own product and builds a deep sense of trust with the potential customer.

The "High Road" Approach:

• Never Bash the Competition: Do not belittle your competitors, send prospects lists of "trick questions" to ask them, or use misleading comparison charts. This behavior comes across as insecure and unprofessional.
• Encourage Comparison: Confidently suggest that the prospect should look at other options. This shows that you believe in the strength of your own offering and are not afraid of a side-by-side comparison.
• Focus on Your Strengths: After encouraging them to look around, bring the conversation back to your unique value proposition and how you can specifically help them achieve success.

The Benefits:

• Builds Trust: This transparency is disarming and builds a foundation of trust. The prospect sees you as an honest advisor, not just a salesperson.
• Demonstrates Confidence: It signals that you are confident that your product will stand up to scrutiny, which in itself is a powerful selling point.
• Provides Valuable Feedback: When you do lose a deal, you are in a better position to ask "why" and learn valuable information about your market position and product gaps.

By taking the high road, you position your company as a confident market leader and turn the presence of competitors into an asset for building trust. This is a more mature application of the mindset in Competition as a Form of Flattery.