Who This Article Is For
- Salespeople unsure how to compare competitors
- People reviewing a sales team's language and approach
- Businesses seeking lasting customer relationships
Compare Competitors Fairly and Build Trust in Your Own Value
Learn why attacking competitors damages credibility, how customers judge salespeople, and how factual comparisons connect strengths to customer needs.
Published
Build Trust Through Facts and the Value You Provide
Attacking competitors can suggest that you cannot explain your own value directly. It may shift an impression briefly but erodes trust over time.
Customers want to understand your value and the differences relevant to their situation. Effective salespeople explain these calmly even during comparisons.
Why Criticism Backfires
Comparisons may be unavoidable, but criticism and comparison serve different purposes.
Customers Want to Understand Value
They want to know how an offer fits their problems, including:
- What changes after implementation
- Which challenges it addresses
- Whether the value justifies the cost
- Whether the provider can be trusted
Criticism that leaves these unanswered moves the conversation off course.
The Language Reflects Your Character
Customers infer company culture and personal character from attempts to elevate yourself by putting others down.
It can make you seem:
- Emotional
- Insecure
- Questionable in integrity
- Likely to speak the same way elsewhere
These impressions can undermine the proposal itself.
What Customers Actually Evaluate
Customers consider a salesperson's approach alongside the product, especially when comparing providers.
Whether You Deserve Trust
Who provides the product matters particularly in expensive or ongoing engagements.
Trust grows through:
- Consistent explanations
- Openness about disadvantages
- Direct answers to questions
- Calm comparisons
Building Trust by Explaining Strengths and Limitations shows how limitations can help customers judge suitability.
How You Compare Reveals Your Approach
Factual and emotional comparisons create different impressions.
| Approach | Impression |
|---|---|
| Attacking a competitor | Emotional, unstable, lacking professionalism |
| Showing factual differences | Calm, honest, trustworthy |
| Focusing on your strengths | Confident and clear |
Keep comparisons factual.
How Effective Salespeople Explain Differences
Connect your value to the customer's problem.
Make Strengths Specific
Generic claims such as quality, support, or reassurance sound similar across companies.
Use specifics:
- Short delivery times
- Support after implementation
- A consistent contact person
- Extensive experience in a particular industry
These create clear comparison criteria.
Connect Features to Customer Outcomes
Explain why the strength helps. For example:
- Implementation support is available.
- Internal adoption becomes easier.
- The operating burden decreases.
Connecting the feature and result makes the value clearer.
Recognize Competitors' Strengths
Acknowledge where another provider performs well, then explain conditions where your offering fits.
Examples:
- That provider has strengths in that area.
- In your circumstances, this approach may fit better.
- Here is the difference between the options.
This helps customers assess the explanation calmly.
A Reliable Approach to Competitive Discussions
Keep the purpose centered on useful decision material.
Separate Facts from Opinions
Share relevant facts and avoid sweeping insults.
- Facts
- Pricing structure
- Implementation period
- Scope
- Track record
- Language to avoid
- They are terrible.
- Their standard is low.
- Their product is useless.
Facts can communicate differences sufficiently.
Align the Team's Language
Inconsistent individual approaches can damage the brand.
Agree on:
- Wording for comparisons
- What may be said
- Expressions to avoid
- How to explain your strengths
Keep sales materials and proposal pages consistent too.
Improve Your Own Presentation
Criticism can stem from unclear internal value. Define differences, suitability, and outcomes to create a better explanation.
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About the Author
Thank you for reading!
I develop and operate SpreadSite, a service for creating websites from spreadsheets.
It helps people with limited time and money communicate what makes their work appealing. Consider it if you need a website! SpreadSite
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How should I answer a question about a competitor?
A: Use factual criteria such as fees, scope, support, and experience to explain differences.
Q: What if the competitor has a clear weakness?
A: Calmly share relevant facts within what you can substantiate, then explain your difference.
Q: Can strong criticism sometimes get a response?
A: It may leave an immediate impression but cost trust. Honest comparisons work better for long relationships and referrals.
Q: What should junior salespeople practice?
A: Specific value explanations, comparison criteria, connections to customer problems, and expressions to avoid.
