A fantastic post by Vinnie Merchandani that resonates with everyone here in the office. An excerpt of the Letterman-style top 10 list:
10 ) "We want to be a partner, not a vendor". OK, in that case we want a board seat and some equity….
9 ) " Just wanted to make sure you saw this about competitor XYZ". Usually it is something unflattering from the press or an analyst. I tell my buyer clients to respond: "Attached is what that a competitor sent us about YOUR company". That stops the negative traffic pretty quick. Negative selling usually boomerangs – few buyers find dirt about your competitors that titillating.
8 ) The opposite of 9 – "we have very worthy competitors" – smothering them with respect. Buyers do not expect you to respect your competitors, just differentiate against them. Focus on features, performance where you are better. You spend a lot of money on competitive intelligence. Share it effectively, positively.
It’s too bad, really, because these tricks are the new scourge of sales catchphrases that everyone is using. I hear it all the time and see it in marketing materials from all sorts of IT vendors.
I don’t know if this is just the new crop of sales positioning zingers or failed attempts at corporate transparency (hint: transparency does not equal honest-sounding sales spin), but really, is this the best IT/HCM/ERP marketing has to offer? Where’s the respect for the client and his/her needs in all of this?
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Jeff, thanks
actually my list was a rerun from 2005
Amazing how applicable it still is, yes?