What is your first reaction when a competitor is mentioned on a call? Even as experienced Sales Engineers, we tend to immediately focus on the competitor. Sales Engineers typically scramble to remember the competitor’s strengths and weaknesses, while the better ones try to understand what’s important to the customer first. The best Sales Engineers do something different; they recognize that competition is natural and to be expected. Before analyzing the competitor at hand, they take a moment to understand that this is usually a good buying signal. Armed with this confidence, they remain calm, their decision-making improves, and their customers are more likely to trust their viewpoint.
In this session, I’ll prove to you using data from thousands of sales cycles, that competitors typically have a positive effect on your deals. It’s not all roses though, because there are specific scenarios that negatively impact your deals when competitors are mentioned. You’ll leave knowing the difference between the two and be encouraged to keep your enemies closer.