Don‘t Let the Competition Sabotage Your Sale: 3 Knockout Phrases to KO Rival Chatter

Picture this: you‘re gliding through a sales call like an Olympic figure skater – nailing your value prop, smoothly overcoming objections, building ironclad rapport. You can practically hear the swell of the crowd as you line up for the closing triple axel.

Then suddenly, out of nowhere, your buyer lobs a question that stops you cold:

"So, what do you think about [competitor X]? Their sales rep said they‘re the industry leaders and that no one can touch their new features."

Record scratch. The crowd gasps. You feel your medal dreams slipping away.

We‘ve all been there. In today‘s uber-competitive, Google-fueled sales landscape, it‘s not a question of if your prospects will bring up the competition, but when. And how you handle that pivotal moment can make or break your chances of skating off with the gold.

The stakes are high. In a recent survey by Richardson Sales Training, 41% of buyers said they eliminate vendors based on what they hear from other vendors. Let that sink in. Your buyers are making decisions based on what your competition says about you.

But fear not! With the right approach, you can turn the tables and use your rival‘s smack talk to your advantage. The key is to artfully reframe the conversation without getting dragged into the mud.

Here are three handy phrases to help you stick the landing when your buyer starts humming your competitor‘s tune:

1. "We‘re Not in [Competitor X‘s] League… We‘re Better."

When your prospect name-drops a rival, it‘s tempting to puff out your chest and declare them a pretender to the throne. But blatant bravado often backfires. Instead, try a little elegant dismissiveness:

"Ah yes, [Competitor X]. To be honest, we don‘t bump into them much on the deals we work. Our solutions tend to be more geared towards enterprise companies who need [key differentiator]. But hey, if you‘re looking for a entry-level tool, they might be fine."

See what happened there? With a smile and a shrug, you‘ve casually implied that the competitor isn‘t really in your weight class. It‘s like LeBron shrugging off comparisons to some G League upstart.

The key is to keep it breezy and focus on your unique value prop. You‘re not so much knocking the competition as you are making it clear that you‘re playing a different game.

2. "That‘s Great That [Competitor X] Has [Feature]! But Have You Considered…?"

In judo, you use your opponent‘s momentum against them. Same principle applies here. When your buyer cites a competitor‘s specific strength, don‘t get defensive. Lean into it!

"It‘s great that [Competitor X] has that slick new AI feature. I can totally see the appeal. But have you thought about how their lack of customization options might limit its usefulness for your team‘s unique workflow? With our platform‘s modularity, you can tailor things to your exact specs."

Judo flip executed. By validating the buyer‘s intel, you build trust and sidestep looking threatened. But then you swiftly pivot to a limitation and bring it back to your strengths. The goal is to plant a seed of doubt without coming off as petty or desperate.

3. "I Can‘t Speak to [Competitor X], But What Our Customers Love Is…"

This one comes straight out of the political spin room. When you get an uncomfortable question, acknowledge it, then bridge to your talking points.

"I honestly can‘t say too much about [Competitor X]‘s support system. What I can tell you is that our customers constantly rave about our 24/7 dedicated success teams. In fact, just last week [Customer] told me our support was a key reason they renewed for another 3 years."

Boom! You‘ve diplomatically sidestepped the bait and shifted the focus to your happy customers. You‘ve made it about relationships and results, not just feature checklists. And you‘ve got the receipts to back it up.

The beauty of this approach is that you‘re not engaging in a tit-for-tat specs battle. You‘re elevating the conversation to what really matters – the value you deliver.

Now, a word of caution. For these techniques to work, you need to do your homework. You can‘t casually dismiss a competitor you‘re actually losing to daily. You can‘t question their capabilities if you don‘t actually know their product inside out. And you certainly can‘t invoke customer love if you don‘t have glowing references locked and loaded.

So hit the books. Scour your CRM for similar deals. Tap your network for intel. And most importantly, listen to your buyers. They‘ll usually telegraph what the competition is telling them if you give them the chance.

Armed with insight and a silver tongue, you can deftly redirect even the most loaded questions back to your unique value. You might even start hoping your competition comes up, just so you can show off your footwork.

So go ahead, bring on the competitor chatter! With the right moves, you‘ll be collecting your gold medal in no time. And who knows, maybe your rivals will even throw in a glowing reference of their own:

"Yeah, we tried to win that deal, but [Your Company] skated circles around us. I gotta give it to ‘em, they know their stuff cold. It‘s not really a competition – they‘re just operating at a different level."

OK, that might be a stretch. But a salesperson can dream, right? Now get out there and stick that landing.