I
I

iHateMyself

Head of Business Development - Investment Fund

Valued Contributor
Executive
Good Citizen
+4

Cold email and indirectly insulting competitors

Is is frowned upon or illegal to reference (negatively, but using statistical evidence) competitors when discussing your value proposition.

I work in a non-crowded space with 2 firms dominating the market. We invest in the same assets, but we pay 2x the competition because they've never had competition.

One of my emails got back to the competitor and there was accusations of libel and slander. (baseless as i referenced statistics pulled from instances of a non-blind bidding war which we won in a landslide).

I want to be professional and advocate my company - not rely on putting others down. But its hard to do one without the other when you are fighting the old guard.


Thoughts?

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21 comment

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CuriousFox
WR Officer
7
🦊
It's best to avoid talking shit about your competition directly or even indirectly.
TennisandSales
Politicker
6
Head Of Sales
i think if you are able to make your self look good while mentioning the competitors its ok:

example:
" company X and Y are solid organizations. groups normally choose us because we do ABC better."

if the prospect mentions something specific you can counter though.

"i heard your competitor has a more integration capabilities"
"im not sure about the exact numbers but I know we can deliver X by X date. have they made that commitment?"

idk something like that?
jefe
Arsonist
5
🍁
Never talk shit about the competitors, but highlight your differences and imply all day.
iHateMyself
Valued Contributor
1
Head of Business Development - Investment Fund
but its so fun
jefe
Arsonist
0
🍁
Not in writing though, friend :)
Pachacuti
Politicker
4
They call me Daddy, Sales Daddy
Is it like saying "We don't beat baby seals" - implying the competition does when in reality none of you do.

Regardless, I'm sure you have a corp attorney who can look at your claims. I would recommend NOT going out on a limb here since its your job at stake.
Gasty
Notable Contributor
4
War Room Community Manager
bashing a competitor never, ever helps.
ThatNewAE
Big Shot
1
Account Executive - Mid enterprise
I'm glad someone said it. I have seen some sales folks jump in directly bashing on how bad the competition is. They even send G2 links of bad reviews
Kosta_Konfucius
Politicker
3
Sales Rep
I always try to stay away from saying negative things about the competition and its hard to say if you did anything wrong without seeing the email.

But if they forward your emails to the competitor its clear they arent going to work with you.
TheOverTaker
Politicker
3
Senior Account Executive
I am never afraid to reference a competitor in an email (especially if I know they are using them), but avoid bashing them. Even on calls, I say "I am not here to bash 'so and so' but here is how we are different"
antiASKHOLE
Tycoon
3
Bravado's Resident Asshole
Steer clear of even mentioning other companies in your space in a negative tone. at the end of the day, it really only hurts you.
LordOfWar
Tycoon
3
Blow it up
I try not to ever bad-mouth competitors and certainly never in writing. Focus on talking about what you do better, not what they do worse, and lead the conversation into how a relationship with you is positive for everyone.
iHateMyself
Valued Contributor
1
Head of Business Development - Investment Fund
thank you all
adrienmc
Good Citizen
2
Founder @LaGrowthMachine
Each competing products will have their advantages and drawbacks. We all specialize in some ways. The best approach is being transparent with your prospects

« If you wish to do this, honestly you’ll be better serve by X. But from what I understand, you also need to solve Y and in that case, here’s why we will do it better »

Golden rule is « don’t try to bullshit your prospects ». If they are on a call with you, they’ll probably be on a call with your competitors.

In the end, they will :
- obviously go with the company that best solve their specifies problem. It’s your job to frame your service in a way that proves you’re the best to do it.
- but also with whom they feel more confident they can trust. If you bullshit them with false claims that your competitor will prove to be wrong, you’ll destroy any trust, which is the basis to any good relationships.

Plus I’ve always had good karma from prospects I’ve honestly pushed to go for the competing product :
- my honestly built the basis for a healthy long term relationship. These prospects that I’ve intentionally lost referred to me some prospects that fit our strengths for a good part of them. Basically because they trust me in the end.
- we’re in a business where committing in not the norm and needs changes (sales automation software). They might not be a fit now but could be later : I always tell them to come back when they’ll need X or Y we do better
Epad
Executive
1
Snr Business Development Executive
Never think bashing or slandering is ok, but nothing wrong with genuinely asking the prospect their opinion or experience with XYZ to identify opportunities to have a further conversation, now or down the road.

"Wish it could do this..."
"Its a significant commitment of our annual budget with low ROI"
"Customer service is only ok"

Or they are happy out and you move on to the next prospect.
Sunbunny31
Politicker
1
Sr Sales Executive 🐰
I'm always cautious about even mentioning competition by name. I prefer to allude to what separates our company and solution from competition, why we are the best option available, etc.
Diablo
Politicker
1
Sr. AE
I always praise my competitors but then I also try to put my product on top with the proper reasoning and justification
tightlines
Politicker
1
Account Executive
This is interesting, but I always shy away from written form
FinanceEngineer
Politicker
1
Sr Director, sales and partnerships
Do not mention any competitor, and keep issue to generals. Like “the solar winds hack.” The only way you can is if it is news related like “Okta had a breach.” Otherwise, don’t attack or you will be attacked and people have put careers on the line to implement those competitors.
GDO
Politicker
1
BDM
Just dont
iHateMyself
Valued Contributor
0
Head of Business Development - Investment Fund
thanks to all

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