My 2 cents for our dear competitor

Lately, we got to hear a lot of lies being spread about us by one of the competitors. It was kind of funny because they went on lying to such an extent that it turned out to be counterproductive for themselves :-) I thought I should spend a few minutes and put together my views on why bad-mouthing competitors is a real bad idea. There are several reasons why, no matter the circumstance, it is never a good idea to talk bad about the competition. 

Talking bad about competitors makes you appear desperate, unprofessional and juvenile

It is easy to spot people or organizations trying to make themselves look better by putting down someone else. The seed of this behaviour gets embedded into every individual right in their childhood. Do you remember that as a kid you sometimes tried to put down your school friend or your brother when he outperformed you? Maybe you were a good little cute kid. Feeling jealous is part of human behaviour. However, when such behaviours of kids are not attended to, these same kids go on to trash-talk about their crush’s crush in college. And the story goes on till the kid grows up to hit the corporate corridors. They end up bad-mouthing their competitors in business. Poor kids! Aren’t they? Fortunately, most of us gain professional maturity by the time we kick start our professional career. Some people, however, never appear to understand professional ethics as the habit of putting others down to look better gets very deeply ingrained in them over the years. Such behavioural traits are looked down upon everywhere. Professional businesses, in particular, have a deep aversion for individuals with such traits. It’s easy to recognise such ploys as unprofessional and juvenile. So, here’re my two cents - do not talk bad about your competitors as it helps no one. Instead it makes you appear desperate, unprofessional and juvenile, which I am sure, you are not!

Showcasing your organization’s strengths is a better idea than bashing competitors

This one is common. You must have chanced upon prospects that love to talk about their unpleasant experience with a competitor of yours. Someone who talks bad about your competitor is your sweet spot! And you feel like adding a few more not-so-great stuffs about your competitor into the discussion. However, it is best to resist the temptation to join in on the bashing. It always pays to maintain professional ethics. I would strongly recommend that you listen to your prospect, but respond by highlighting your organisation’s core values, strengths, and accomplishments, emphasising how your company can add value. Never ever even try to talk bad about your competitor at the drop of a hat. In fact, try to appreciate their efforts. If possible, highlight some of the good things they have done. Doing so demonstrates your confidence and professional maturity that every client looks for in a good business relationship. By focusing on your company’s strengths instead of enlisting your competitor’s weaknesses, you will be perceived as someone who handles the competition by outperforming them and not by deploying some naive mis-information ploy. Morale of the story – Refrain from talking bad about your competitors even if you get the opportunity to do so. Talk good about them instead!

By talking about your competitors all the time, you actually shift your prospect’s attention

By talking about your competitors all the time, you actually shift your prospect’s attention towards your competitors. Would you really wanna do this even in your wildest imagination? No. Right? In fact, when our competitors talk about us with their existing or potential clients, we feel great! This, in a way, proves the point that we’re always in the back of their mind. Whereas a handful of our competitors might need more professional maturity to stop talking bad about us, most others love us for the great work we do every day. Over the last few years, Konnect Insights has grown by leaps and bounds. We are trusted by top brands and agencies across sectors such as Banking and Finance, Automobiles, Aviation, Telecom, Healthcare, Entertainment, IT, Pharma, E-Commerce, Sports, Insurance, Mutual Funds, and Travel. So, the more our competitors talk about us, the more they end up highlighting our associations with great brands and the kind of impressive work we have done for them. It may surprise our dear competitor - who doesn’t love to talk so great about us - that a prospect to whom they bad-mouthed us recently got in touch with us because they heard about us from them and then signed up a contract with us once they saw our product and used it for a trial. Isn’t this a loss for you, Mr Competitor? But I wouldn't mind that!