Sales coach Bob London says ask your customers directly: would you talk to a competitor if they called? The uncomfortable question builds trust by showing confidence and transparency, and uncovers what they really need from you.
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These questions actually are getting a little bolder as they go. Talk about a bold question. Only ask this if you're willing to hear the truth, even if it's not all sunshine and rainbows and ponies. If a competitor contacted you tomorrow, would you ignore them or want to learn more? I know I've had some clients that have been nervous about me asking this question, not because they were worried that they were gonna get bad "Horrible feedback," but just because it's, again, it's one of these, why would you ever utter the word competitor? And I think that's a little bit of an outdated notion. Everyone knows that everyone has competition at some level. The benefit of this question is that if they say, "Well, actually, yeah, I probably would respond to them. I'd engage a little bit, find out what's going on. What are they offering?" Well, that gives you a chance to follow up and say, "You know what?" I really appreciate you being honest. That's exactly why we're having this call. Why would you do, why would you engage? What are you seeking? What are you curious about? Is there anything that concerns you that you're not getting today? Or is it just a general sense of you wanna stay in touch with and informed about what else is out there? Because that's your job. In my experience, no matter what their answer is, they'll give you answers that will help you build the relationship. These are relationship-building questions. Because you know what, they respect the transparency and confidence you showed by asking a question like this. It is incredibly bold and it actually brings customers closer to you. And again, that same adage, remember, bottom line, you can't solve a problem if you don't know it exists. And this is not a question that is, you know, you're daring them to mention a problem. That's not it at all. It's really just a relationship question.
