Sneaky Sales Tactics

The reason why you have a job in sales is because our markets are constantly getting more competitive. Every year, every month, and every day products are coming out better, faster, and closer together. Almost as soon as your company dreams up a great new idea for product or feature, your competition seems to think of it too and get it to market.

If this weren't the case, it would be much cheaper for our corporations to just hire order takers or setup e-commerce websites to let people buy everything unassisted.

We often find ourselves in sales situations involving serious competition. To win the most business you are capable of in a competitive marketplace, you must know the right sales tactics to use at the right time.

So what do you do? Engage when you have clear superiority.

Sounds simple, but a lot of people ignore this one. When pursuing customers, you want to engage your competition only when you have the superior solution to win the battle with. Do this right, and you'll win most of your sales. And if everyone did this, there would be few or no fights.

However, not everyone does this.

And when they do, many do it poorly.

Sales Tactic #1
Know Your Enemy Better Than He Knows Himself

Most salespeople know something about their competition. The top few know their competitors as well or better than they know themselves. These top salespeople know the following important things about their competitors:

• Their product & company strengths.
• Their product & company weaknesses.
• Which buyers they are likely to win with.
• Which buyers they are vulnerable to lose with.
• Who their flagship customers are.
• Who their customers from hell are.
• Sales tactics that they commonly use.

When you know these things as new prospects come up, you'll be in position to quickly decide "should I pursue this piece of business?" Pursuing the right business and avoiding the wrong business is one of the simplest ways to be highly successful in sales. This is not always easy to do though because we often have pressures from our peers and those we work for to pursue any and every lead with pulse. Do what you know is right, and watch your close ratio increase.

Oh, and how do you find these things out about your competiton? Spy on them. No, I don't mean break into their office in the middle of the night. Spying is easy with the internet and a telephone.

Simply use the web (and other publicly available info sources such as an annual report) to find out the names of some of your competition's customers. Then call these companies up posing as someone who is looking to buy the same product as they bought. Since voicemail is common these days, you may need to setup an unlisted number at home with a voicemail that you can configure yourself to make your identity appear real.

A few conversations held in this manner will yield 100 times the value of what you will ever learn from the trade press or your competitor's brochures. Use your newfound knowledge to decide whether and when to engage your competition.

Once you've decided to engage, you will want to maintain your upper hand. You do this by consciously deciding to weaken your enemy before the battle starts.

Sales Tactic #2
Verbally Diminish Your Competition

At the beginning of a sale, your customer may be looking at a number of different vendors. You can build your stature and diminish that of your top competitor by positioning them as yesterday's news.

The tactic works like this. You ask your prospect what vendors they are evaluating or looking to buy from. Most prospects will tell you who they are looking at. Once they have told you who they are looking at, choose one of the weaker competitors from their list and say "Oh, Mad-Dog Systems is a good company. I have heard some good things about them".

Your prospect will take note of this, and will want to pay some extra attention to the one that you "fear". The prospect will also note that you didn't mention who he expected to hear as your #1 competitor, and may be surprised by that.

Your prospect may even ask you about your top competitor: "So What do you know about Thunderbird Technologies?" Here's where you go in for the kill. You will want to reply by acting surprised and saying "Thunderbird Technologies? We hardly see them being evaluated by our customers anymore."

At this point, you may be further asked "Why?" you don't see them in your deals anymore. Here is where you have a couple of good weaknesses of theirs ready to cite as reasons why they are falling behind in your marketplace.

This technique enables you to reposition your top competitor as an also-ran without looking like you are slamming your competition.

Don't give your competition any more strength than they already have. Even if you are the number 2 or 3 vendor in your marketplace, act as if you are the number 1 vendor (or at least number one in your defined niche). And if you followed above rule and engaged only where you have superior strength, then you will be the number 1 vendor for the deals that you decide to go after.

© 1999-2004 Shamus Brown, All Rights Reserved.

Shamus Brown is a Professional Sales Coach and former high-tech sales pro who began his career selling for IBM. Shamus has written more than 50 articles on selling and is the creator of the popular Persuasive Selling Skills CD Audio Program. You can read more of Shamus Brown's sales tips at http://Sales-Tips.industrialEGO.com/ and you can learn more about his persuasive sales skills training at http://www.Persuasive-Sales-Skills.com/

---

Sales and the City

It's all about relationships!Here is how a popular TV show... Read More

How to Build a Repeat Client Base in Automobile Sales

Here is a question I recently received from a young... Read More

Successful Sales People Know Which Differentiators Matter

Know where to focus. Not everyone evaluates product solutions with... Read More

Close More Sales With This Very Simple 3 Step Sales Process.

As Financial Services Sales Professional you need to build trust... Read More

Increase Your Influence, Increase Your Sales

Selling is everyone's lifeblood whether they realize it or not.... Read More

Pressure Washer Business; Cleaning Composite Decks

There is a new trend in the way wood decks... Read More

Sales As A Positive Experience

No matter what your age or stage in life, some... Read More

Sales Techniques to Help the Customer to Buy

Three times I have revisited Turkey after living in the... Read More

How To Get Clients To Take Immediate Action

Are you tired of excuses? Looking for a persuasion technique... Read More

How to Spellbind Your Prospects in 10 Seconds!

You've got yourself 10 seconds to HOOK your prospects or... Read More

The 12 Dumbest Things Salespeople Do

We all make mistakes and some salespeople seem to make... Read More

Sales Skills for the Non Sales Professional

Have you ever wondered how in the heck you're going... Read More

How A Dancing Horse Can Increase Your Sales

"Yeah right!" I thought to myself as I started to... Read More

Practice Building: Create a Powerful and Targeted Call to Action for Your Prospects

A "Call To Action" is an invitation for your prospective... Read More

Survival On The Road! A Resource For The On The Road Sales Professional

It makes no difference if you are a Saleswomen, a... Read More

Do You Want Fries With That? - Using Suggestive Selling to Increase Your Sales

Suggestive selling is a powerful tool that can increase your... Read More

9 TIPS: Dont Sell Me - Persuade Me

We all have something in our past we believe someone... Read More

Sales Training - What Is a Disguised Implied Need?

Have you ever been in the position where you are... Read More

Reaching Goals in Direct Sales

From surveys and experience, we've noticed many setting excellent goals... Read More

Is It Time To Rethink Your Sales Training Program or Is Your Sales Training Delivering Results?

Sales is still a must for any company who wishes... Read More

The Quickest Way To Increase Your Sales

The quickest way to increase sales is to make things... Read More

Are You a Sales Professional?

Many sellers like to describe themselves as professionals, but what... Read More

Sales Predator Or Professional Sales Rep

From a customer's perception, it's easy for a salesperson to... Read More

Reaching Goals in Direct Sales

From surveys and experience, we've noticed many setting excellent goals... Read More

Objections Are Buying Signals? Usually!

How well do you handle objections?The fact is, most people... Read More

8 Must Questions to Ask in Every Sales Situation

Solving people's and organization's problems is ultimately what business is... Read More

Generate Sales with Lead Generation Marketing Tools

One of the best projects to undertake as an online... Read More

The Changing Role of the Sales Consultant

"Leadership rests not only on outstanding ability. It also rests... Read More

3 Tips to Get Clients Now

"I need more clients!" wails Steve, a 32 year old... Read More

Value Add Negotiating for Sales Professionals

Imagine this scenario. You are a sales representative for Baker... Read More

10 Power-Packed Ways To Spark Your Sales

1. Spend money on targeted advertising instead of mass media... Read More

Bite Your Tongue

Most people don't realize how powerful a negotiating tool silence... Read More

The Multiplying Factor In Sales Success

Mark has an attitude! Mark had worked in an operational... Read More