Our seller says: My prospect has been using our competitors products for years. It is so ingrained they don’t even know if or how our product is better or worse. They just keep using the other product. They don’t seem interested in checking us out. Plus there are some people in the prospects company who give our product a bad reputation – usually because the product was used incorrectly (not the products fault).

Answer:

In a situation like this I suggest your first objective should be to find a ‘chink in the armour’ of your competitors products. It is silly to try and sell a product your prospect has no interest in.

Your first job is to try and stimulate some interest in your product. Not by bad-mouthing or criticising your competitor (or the prospects staff) but by probing to find out what could be better.

Example: Say to your prospect… “Okay. I understand you are happy with XYZ (competitor) product. That’s great because its a pretty good product. But look, if you were to change over to another product, what would you be looking for? What would you like in that product (or service) to be even better than what you’re getting now?

Also, you can probe the current level of satisfaction by asking specific questions based around your knowledge of the competitors product. is there one or two aspects that you know customers find difficult about that product? If so, ask specifically how that aspect is affecting your prospect.

Look for opportunities to establish that your product has some extra (or different) value to offer for your prospect.