Who Every Salesperson’s Biggest Competitor Will Always Be

Many salespeople give a variety of responses when asked, “who is your biggest competitor?” No matter which industry you represent, the answer is always the same to this question. The biggest competitor will always be the status quo, or who the prospect is currently doing business with when it comes to the products or services you represent.

Yes, this means your biggest competitor can be Billy Bob’s shack down the street all the way to a top Fortune 50 company. Don’t assume all big companies do business with other big companies. I’ve been surprised in my sales career to see some very big hitters who are serviced and sold to by relatively small companies.

Knowing who your prospect does business with is obviously very important and is always a priority in the information gathering process. Who your prospect does business with will tell you a lot about them. Assumptions in selling can lead you down a very dreary road and take you off of your game. Always remember that your biggest competitor is not that Fortune 500 Company that you hate running into; it is instead the status quo company that your prospect is currently involved in doing business with.