Sales Tip: Study up on your competitor's products

March 8, 2023
If knowledge is power, then you'll want to know everything you can about your competitor's products and why your products are just as good, if not, better than theirs.

Let’s talk about how to successfully sell what you’ve got when your product is not No.1.

Try making a list of the features of the competitive product and compare your product to theirs, feature by feature. List them all since knowing even the smallest detail about the competition can help you close a sale.

Next, decide and write down what the benefit is of each of these features from a user’s point of view. Include in your list both your benefits and theirs. Remember that a benefit is what each feature means to the user. Not what is important to you, but to the person using the product.

Often at the end of this exercise, you will discover that feature-for-feature, your product is equal to or even better than numero uno. Perhaps they are number one because they have three times as many jobbers on the road than your brand or they just do more advertising.

Since you are now an expert on both your product and theirs, you can put together a superior presentation and close more sales.

As a side note: If the product manager for the number one product is really doing their job, they have priced their product at about 10 percent above the market average. This can help you if you use this fact correctly in your presentation.

About the Author

Alan Sipe | President, Toolbox Sales and Consulting

Alan W. Sipe has spent the last 42 years in the basic hand tool industry including positions as President of KNIPEX Tools North America, Sr. VP Sales and Marketing at Klein Tools, Manager Special Markets at Stanley Tools and sales management at toolbox manufacturer Waterloo Industries. Currently Sipe is the owner of Toolbox Sales and Consulting specializing in sales strategy, structure, development and training. Sipe can be reached at [email protected] or 847-910-1063. Connect with Sipe on LinkedIn.

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