Want to Outsell Your Competition? Try This Radically Disruptive Strategy

Philadelphia. January. 12:25 am.

I was bleary eyed, cranky and standing in a group of other freezing, weary travelers waiting at Zone 2 for the Budget rental car shuttle that seemed to never come.

As we waited, an Avis bus pulled up.

The friendly driver, adorned in his snappy red vest, leapt out and bellowed to the crowd “Anyone waiting for Budget?” (Yes, we were!)

“Jump on in if you’d like,” he offered. “It’s only about a fifteen foot walk over from where I drop off.”

Hallelujah! Myself and many other frozen, weary travelers took the benevolent driver up on his offer and scrambled gratefully onto the warm (competitor’s) bus.

Now I don’t think for a minute that the Avis bus driver was executing some super-genius, masterful sales plan aimed at wooing away the competition’s clients (but, just in case it was a purposeful sales coup, my hats off to you grand poobah of rental car sales!)

But either way, his message and gesture was an impressive and impactful sales maneuver.

I mean, wow! What a powerful offer of service. It’s genius really – offering assistance to another business’s clients with no direct obvious payoff?!

Now that is selling above the competition in a unique way!

This whole experience got me thinking: how can offering service to your competitor’s clients help you win more sales? And what would be the benefit of figuring this out?

I came up with three key benefits tied to this very simple strategy…

1. Social Media Recognition

Big brands spend big dollars on social media marketing these days. And for good reason – it works!

But do you know when social media messages are even more effective?

When they DON’T come for the company trying to sell you something!

Customers love coming up with Tweetable story or a ‘Like’-worthy Facebook post (either good or bad!).

It’s clear that more and more of the most highly effective marketing messages for our products/services/brands don’t come directly from us but from buyers (or the competitions’ buyers!).

So let’s give the competition’s buyers something to talk about and score some invaluable positive social media marketing messages in return!

2. Swaying Buyers’ Brand Preference

Buyers can be fickle with their brand preference. And brand loyalty isn’t what is used to be.

Today’s consumers demand premium service and will switch brands to get it. Quickly.

Serving prospective buyers before they are even your customer is a phenomenal way to earn their trust and win their business!

3. Shows the Buyer What They Are Missing

No one likes to compromise and no one wants to settle.

As soon as a buyer feels that they will be treated better elsewhere or receive more attention/service from a competitor, they are gone!

Why not give them a little taste of what they’re missing?

Bottom line – all is fair in love and sales!

Go after the competition’s clients with vigor! Show them what they are missing… and you just might change their world!