Over the years, I’ve been asked how one of our products compares to a competitor.  For years, I politely deflected answering the question.  I’ve never felt I was qualified to answer because I’ve never used their product.  My only knowledge was from competitive research via their online marketing materials and resources. 

I’ve always focused on promoting the benefits of our products and how they help.  I try not to spend much time thinking about the competition; obsessing about a competitor seems like driving down a road with your eyes on the rearview mirror.  I remember being at COMDEX ( a computer trade show) in the 1980s and being handed a sheet of paper listing every problem with a competitor’s product. If your marketing strategy is to attack the competition, you speak volumes about who you are as a company.

My typical response was usually a gentle admonition about it being an unwise question, like: “I wouldn’t trust what any software vendor has to say about their competitor.”  I would follow that with a confident invitation to compare the products head to head.

As marketing and sales have become a larger part of my day-to-day activities, I’ve had a change of heart about this question.  I still won’t speak to specific product deficiencies their customers have shared with us.  But now I view it as a selling opportunity and say something combining humor and truth, like: “They’re great people, actually better than us in every way except technology, service, and value.”  And then: “Seriously, though, we offer a free trial so you can compare them head to head, and we want you to do that because we’re fairly positive you’ll choose us.”

I no longer mind being asked those types of questions.  Every customer has different needs, and the question opens up an opportunity to learn more about them and better understand those needs. 

So if you have a need for schedule analysis software (schedule health, causes of delays, schedule comparison, etc.), let’s talk!