3 ways to get a cagey buyer to tell you which of your competitors they are also talking to
#3 works every time
B2B software sales is an overcrowded and fiercely competitive space, with dozens of vendors in every category, so it’s essential for salespeople to know who they are competing with for each customer in their pipeline.
But getting buyers to share this information isn’t easy as they often feel that doing so tips the balance of power to the seller. There are 3 common ways to go about finding out by only #3 is reliably effective. The 3 ways are:
The direct ask —“Who else are you evaluating?”
The assumptive ask — “I assume you are talking to Competitors A and B. What have you seen that you liked?”
The strategic ask —“What do you like most about the solutions you’ve looked at so far?”
1. The direct ask
Salesperson: “Who else are you evaluating?”