Pointed a prospect to a competitor. They came back 3 months later!

Had a couple of discovery calls and figured that they were looking for something that we clearly didn't offer. I also knew that some of these feature requests weren't going to be built in a the next few months.


I sent them over to a competitor that claimed to do almost exactly what they were looking for and they signed a quarterly agreement with them.


Today, they reached out to us, appreciated the honesty and said they'd like to give us a chance since there were many gaps in the competitor's tool.


How often have y'all pointed prospects in the opposite direction?



๐Ÿฐ War Stories
๐Ÿ‘‘ Sales Strategy
๐Ÿ“ˆ Closing
8
salesnerd
WR Officer
4
Head of Growth
Love that move. It builds trust for the future. I've even had competitors reach out to me and ask the best way to send me leads because the companies aren't great fits for them.ย 
Savagedoge
Tycoon
0
Account Executive
Now that's a nice way to keep your competitors close too ;) Love it!
fuzzy
Notable Contributor
3
CMO (Chief Meme Officer)
At my time at Apple, I often sold them what was appropriate for them, even if it meant something non-Apple. "No sir, you do not need this $4000 laptop to check your emails."ย 
Savagedoge
Tycoon
0
Account Executive
Hahaha, this cracked me up! I do know of a ton of people who have invested in this expensive af laptop and just check their emails on it, lol
CadenceCombat
Tycoon
1
Account Executive
I love the approach. Canโ€™t say Iโ€™ve had the same luck myself after recommending a competitor but this is encouraging to see.
Savagedoge
Tycoon
0
Account Executive
Most times they've stuck on with the competitor for an year atleast. But you're leaving a lasting impact on them. I've had some prospects who chose a competitor but still referred others to check us out. That's a win!
CaneWolf
Politicker
1
Call me what you want, just sign the damn contract
Yep, this is a thing I do pretty regularly. It keeps your soul intact and you're not spinning resources on a deal that you'll either lose or come to regret closing.
Savagedoge
Tycoon
1
Account Executive
It's so important. The worst feeling is when you know you're closing a deal that you know is going to come back to bite your ass. The constant anxiety, damn!
mcsalesperson1
Politicker
1
Account Executive
I did that one time since we werenโ€™t a good fit. The customer appreciated the honesty, and from my perspective if I sold them something that didnโ€™t work it would only cause more harm than good.ย 
LordBusiness
Politicker
1
Chief Revenue Officer
Iโ€™ve not necessarily passed folks on to another vendor, but I pretty regularly tell them that their expectations are not in line with the products and services we offer. I then highlight if any other vendor says they are - feel free to take their word for it. They almost always come back within 2-3 monthsย 
Kinonez
Celebrated Contributor
1
War Room Enthusiast
Thatโ€™s a boss move in sales right there! We need to understand that our solution isnโ€™t for everyone, our role is to identify their needs and solve them, if we canโ€™t buy know who can we should send them in the right direction.

This shows professionalism and builds trust. Iโ€™ve had many prospects Iโ€™ve sent elsewhere send me their friends my way. We should standardize this into a best practice!ย 
Savagedoge
Tycoon
1
Account Executive
I agree one hundred percent. But we still have a lot of leaders who think that a good salesperson should sell to anyone and everyone they can talk to. Thatโ€™s a fact.
Kinonez
Celebrated Contributor
0
War Room Enthusiast
Oh yeah, those are the majority; itโ€™s us the few of us who understand how sales should run, that have to shape the industry! We have to do whatโ€™s best for our prospects, thatโ€™s our best course of action!
Blackwargreymon
Politicker
1
MDR
Love that move. It builds trust for the future.
MR.StretchISR
Politicker
0
ISR
QuotaPath
Error32
Politicker
0
ISR
Bonus, you can use it for free.
17
Members only

The old "Call me back in 6 months"

Discussion
23
How often do you listen to the prospect?
17% 100% of the time
45% Depends
27% Buyers are Liars
12% "What ever, What ever, I do what I want!"
60 people voted
24
Members only

Triumphant moment: when a prospect calls back after months saying "you were right, I will send the PO today"

Discussion
20
18

I just went on-site with a prospect for the first time in 18 months

Discussion
15