The Key Question to Help Dislodge a Competitive Vendor Relationship

by PAUL CHERRY one comment December 31, 2017 modified on: July 2, 2018

You’re in a conversation with a prospect and you finally pop the question:

“What do you like (or dislike) about your current supplier?”

The prospect says:

“Well, we’re happy with whom we’re using now. But I’m willing to listen to what you have to offer.”

Now you’ve got a big problem

Because you didn’t get the complete answer you were looking for, you go into your usual “sales spiel.”

Ten minutes later, the prospect says:

“Well thanks for stopping by. I enjoyed hearing what you have to say, and when, or if, we decide to look at other options, we’ll give you a call.”

The sales call comes to a close with no next steps or action plan to move the sales relationship forward. What do you think are the chances this prospect is gonna give you a call?

Low probability. You’ve lost control.

Next time, when you’re trying to gauge whether there’s an opportunity to disrupt a competitor supplier relationship, there’s a much more effective way to ask the question. Click on the video to find out.

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One response to “The Key Question to Help Dislodge a Competitive Vendor Relationship”

Butzy says:

January 2, 2018 at 11:11 am

Paul, I’ve been guilty of asking that dumb question, ‘What do you like about your current vendor.” Oh boy, did I get the wrong answer. the question you give really does neutralize the answer. you can’t go wrong with your question. love it.

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Paul Cherry

For over two decades, sales expert and author PAUL CHERRY has helped B2B sales professionals close more deals in all major industries. As a recognized thought leader in customer engagement strategies, Paul Cherry has been featured in more than 250 publications, including Investor’s Business Daily, Selling Power, Inc., Sales & Marketing Management, The Kiplinger Letter, and Salesforce.

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Performance Based Results

Paul Cherry is the president of Performance Based Results. PBR delivers intense, customized sales team training programs and sales management coaching to companies throughout North America. Paul has worked with more than 1,200 organizations, including 175 of the Fortune 500, plus more than a thousand entrepreneurial, small to mid-sized, cutting-edge businesses looking to dominate their niche markets. Clients typically get 7 times their return-on-investment (ROI) or better.