You make a cold call to an ideal prospect, and they say, ‘Sorry, we are already working with [insert your competitor’s name here] on that’.
You freeze. Not only is the prospect working with your competitor, but they are working with a competitor with a significantly worse deliverable than yours!
The truth is competitors with a lower quality product can still cream you in sales.
Moreover, you can have the highest quality product or service in your industry and still lose to competitors with worse quality deliverables!
That said, I am sharing why competitors who are worse than you beat you in sales and what to do about it.
Remember, you can be #1 on the quality food chain and still place last on the selling food chain.
Here is why your lowest quality competitors are creaming you.
Your Competitors Are Only Beating You for These 3 Reasons
There are three reasons why competitors with worse products or services than you are trumping you in sales.
The three reasons include:
- Taking more action than you
- Having better energy than you
- They are more consistent than you
That is it!
Competitors will keep beating you until you improve in these three areas.
Even People With Zero Value Can Beat You.
The truth is competitors with little to no value can beat you if they take more action, have better energy, and are more consistent than you.
Straight facts!
Every salesperson has a moment when they look at the market and question why their ideal customers are getting stolen by competitors with worse deliverables.
Are they better than I think they are? Do they know something I do not know?
No, the competitors are simply taking more action, have better energy, and are more consistent!
These three factors make-up for what they lack in quality.
Newbies Can Beat the Most Experienced Sales Pros
No, it is not your imagination! Beginner's luck is a real thing.
There is a reason why newbies in almost any game often beat the most experienced players: Because the newbies do not know how to do anything other than take action, bring energy, and be consistent.
Also, newbies tend to be fearless because they are oblivious of stupid social norms that govern the game.
For example, there is an idea in sales that you should not follow up with prospects every 24 hours unless you want to look like you are forcing them to do something they do not want to do.
However, that is nothing but nonsense.
You cannot force anybody to do anything; you cannot force prospects to take your calls, read your emails, or buy your deliverable.
Therefore, that social norm is rooted in fear (as most are) instead of reality.
Beginner's luck is real because beginners stick to the basics and are fearless.
You Are Getting Caught Up In the Weeds
Most salespeople who are #1 on the quality food chain but low on the sales food chain get there because they get caught up in the weeds.
By getting caught in the weeds, I mean they get caught up in things other than the basics.
Instead of focusing on action, energy, and consistency, they get caught up in the complexities of:
- Processes
- Pitches
- Techniques
I am not saying that you should not have a repeatable sales process, a killer sales pitch outline, or the best techniques at your disposal!
In fact, having processes, pitches, and techniques (especially those related to cold calling) is critical to success.
However, I am saying that processes, pitches, and techniques mean nothing unless you take a lot of action, have rockstar energy, and are consistent.
You must get out of the weeds and get back to the basics!
Get Back to the Basics
As I said, you must get out of the weeds by returning to the basics.
While you are perfecting the details, your competitors are out there taking action!
Even though they do not have the best process, pitch, or techniques, they are taking action, bringing extreme energy, and being consistent.
As a result, they are beating you.
Always remember that selling is simple, not complex. If you feel like selling is getting complicated, it is a good sign you are heading into the weeds.
Once you are in the weeds, you forget about the basics. Meanwhile, competitors are stealing your customers!
Furthermore, get back to the basics to get to #1 in your industry.
Take More Action By Making More Commitments
The first reason competitors who are worse than you are beating you is they are taking more action than you.
While you are at your desk trying to perfect every little detail, they are in the field:
- Making dozens of cold calls
- Knocking on doors
- Pitching as if their life depends on it
To dominate your industry in sales, you must take more action than everyone else.
Taking action begins with making a commitment. Without a commitment, you are unlikely to move at all.
Taking Action Begins With a Commitment
Most people who say they are going to take action never do.
I am going to lose weight this year! I am going to make 100 cold calls per day! I am finally going to start that new business!
Yeah, you do not need me to tell you that most people do not live up to their words.
The reason they never follow through is that they never make a commitment.
Following through with action requires a commitment or a promise to do what you say you will do.
Think of it like this: Phone company salespeople ask you to sign a contract before starting a new plan. They do this to ensure you follow through with the plan.
From now on, you must make a similar commitment to yourself to take more action in sales.
Specifically, to take more action with:
- Cold calls
- Follow-up
- Communication with current customers
I suggest writing down your commitments as daily goals.
For example, write in a journal that you will make 100 cold calls Monday through Friday. Writing the goal down is like making a contract with yourself.
How do you expect to beat your competitors if you never move past the starting line?
You DO NOT Need to Be Perfect
But Brian, my cold calling skills are not good enough to take action now! I need more practice before getting started!
To put it simply, you will never be perfect. There is always room for improvement.
Therefore, you cannot let the desire to be perfect stop you from taking action.
Are your worst competitors who are beating you in sales perfect? Of course not.
Always take action before you think you are ready.
The more action you take, the more you improve. The more you improve, the closer you get to being your best.
Beat the Competition By Bringing More Energy Than Everyone Else
Most salespeople talk to prospects as if they hate their lives.
By that, I mean they bring absolutely no energy to the sales process!
For example, they make cold calls with as much energy as somebody digging a ditch, going to the DMV, or taking out the trash.
Want to know who is bringing energy to the sales process?
Your lower-quality competitors who are beating you!
Here is something you need to know: What you say in sales does not matter nearly as much as how you say it!
Why?
Because, the way you say things reflects your energy levels. Your energy levels impact the way you make prospects feel. The way you make prospects feel is more important than what you say to them!
As Maya Angelou once said, ‘People will forget what you said, but people never forget how you made them feel’.
High energy → makes prospects feel good → you are memorable → they make a purchase
Beat your competition by bringing more positive energy to the sales process than everyone else.
Your Potential Customers Are Dying for Enthusiasm
Your potential customers are sick and tired of taking cold calls from people who sound like they hate their lives.
They are also sick and tired of:
- Team members whining and crying
- People crying about the state of the world
- People fighting on social media and the news 24/7
Moreover, your customers are dying for a little positive energy in their life.
Take advantage of this by being a ray of positive energy.
The next time you make a cold call, be so enthusiastic that you change the mood from negative to positive.
Additionally, go into your next sales pitch with so much enthusiasm for the prospect’s business vision that you have more energy for it than them.
Remember, energy is about making prospects feel good. And they are dying to feel good.
Pretend You Are Energetic Even When You Are Not
It does not matter if you feel like garbage today!
It does not matter that you were stuck in traffic today or spilled coffee on your pants; you must bring positive energy to the table even when you do not feel awesome.
Moreover, pretend like you are energetic even when you are not.
The great thing about faking energy is that you eventually become energetic from pretending.
Even though you are down in the dumps, you must pretend as if you feel on top of the world.
Otherwise, your lower-quality competitors will bring the energy, be more memorable, and ultimately win the game.
Stay on Top By Staying Consistent
Taking action and bringing energy to the table will not take you to the top if you only do it once.
You must stay consistent.
Michael Jordan did not become the most legendary basketball player by having one killer day of practice.
He became number one by showing up and repeating the process every day.
That said, do not get discouraged if it takes time to gain ground; keep taking action and bringing the energy, and you will eventually topple your competitors.
If you give up, know that your lowest-quality competitors are the most consistent ones in the game.
Because they are not banking on being high-quality, they rely on consistency to stay on top!
Remember, a river does not cut through rock because of its power but because of its persistence.
Stop Wasting Time Trying to Get Motivated
Most salespeople do not stay consistent because they do not feel motivated.
Instead of being consistent, they stop and wait to feel motivated before moving.
Let me tell you something: Trying to get motivated almost NEVER works! You can recite all the mantras and read all the quotes you want, but they will never get you motivated.
Want to know what actually motivates you?
Taking action; taking action gets you motivated.
The more action you take, the more motivated you become because taking action produces wins.
Taking action → winning sales deals → motivation.
Many people have the equation backwards: They try to get motivated before taking action, thinking that motivation is a requirement for moving.
However, the truth is the only way to get motivated is by taking action.
Because the more action you take, the more you win, and winning motivates you to move.
Are You Going to Let Emotions Determine Your Actions?
Ultimately, motivation is just a feeling.
Are you going to let a feeling determine your actions?
Or, are you going to take action despite what your feelings tell you?
Name one time taking action (or inaction) based on emotions did you well!
The moment you take action based on emotion is the moment you get a Will Smith Chris Rock outcome.
You do not want that, do you? Of course not.
Therefore, take action despite what your feelings tell you not to do.
While you are allowing emotions to control you, your competitors are taking control of their feelings to stay consistent.
Do not let a temporary feeling determine your ultimate outcome!
Stay consistent even when your motivation is at zero. Your future self will thank you.
Final Thoughts on Why Competitors Are Making More Sales Than You
It does not matter if you have the highest quality product, the most expertise, or the best sales tools in the world: Your competitors will beat you in sales if they are taking more action, have better energy, and are more consistent than you!
That said, get yourself out of the weeds and get back to the basics.
How long will you let your ideal customers get stolen by competitors who are obviously worse than you?
