Prospect Work With a Competitor? These Questions Could Change Their Mind

BY Rachel Cagle
Featured image for “Prospect Work With a Competitor? These Questions Could Change Their Mind”

Sorry, we currently work with…” Sound familiar? It’s a common response prospects give when salespeople call on them. The thing is, this isn’t the roadblock you may think it is. The prospect might be lying, because they just don’t want to hear a sales pitch at the moment. Or maybe they do have a supplier, but you know you could be better. Here are some follow-​up questions HubSpot writer Aja Frost suggests asking when prospects pull the competitor card.

The Informative Follow-Up

You’re better than the prospect’s current supplier and you know it. So, when they tell you who they’re working with, ask for a follow-​up call. Tell them that you’d just like to take some time to compare what the prospect already has and what you can bring to the table. Name something specific if the client still seems unsure. Scheduling a future call will give you time to better prepare as well.

Cards on the Table

What results are you getting?” That’s one of the brief and to the point questions Frost has in mind. This causes the prospect to do some reflecting on how successful their business relationship with their current supplier has been. If it hasn’t been the greatest, this is your chance to shine.

The Point of Reference

If the competitor is someone your current clients have worked with in the past, you probably know a thing or two about why your clients switched. Bring those problems up. Tell the prospect you have clients who used to work with the competition and ask if they are having similar problems. This not only makes the prospect think about their current difficulties, it also shows that you have experience providing similar companies with better results.

Asking questions such as these will continue the phone call long enough that the prospect may begin to change their mind about hearing your sales pitch. If you can get them to think about what could be better in this part of their business, you have a way to get them to sign a contract with you.


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