How do you deal with competitor disparaging your products

[Growth & Learn]

So, just found out that one of my competitors has been corresponding with his list and negatively speaking about one of our products.

For those with experience with this...how do you deal with this?

 

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[Jon L]

I've not had it done to me in my business so far, but I've been around sales for a good long time. All the senior sales reps that talk about this say the same thing: don't disparage the competition. Say something like, 'I'm sure you'll have a good experience with ____ if you choose to go with them. They are a top notch company. then refocus the conversation on what you're good at.

 

[Growth & Learn]

I've not had it done to me in my business so far, but I've been around sales for a good long time. All the senior sales reps that talk about this say the same thing: don't disparage the competition. Say something like, 'I'm sure you'll have a good experience with ____ if you choose to go with them. They are a top notch company. then refocus the conversation on what you're good at.

Yeah I'm smart enough to not talk shit about my competitors. Most of us in this business are. He's up and coming though. Targeting me.

 

[GuestUser141]

So, just found out that one of my competitors has been corresponding with his list and negatively speaking about one of our products.

For those with experience with this...how do you deal with this?

Is this a bricks and motor business or eCommerce ?

 

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[Growth & Learn]

Is this a bricks and motor business or eCommerce ?

Ecommerce.

 

[GuestUser141]

get rid of him/her. amazon has a zero tolerance for vendors who disrespect customers and will close the vendors account.

Create numerous customer accounts ,purchase pre-paid visa cards,open numerous gmail accounts with safe proxies ($2 per proxy) .once created (10 accounts) buy from your customer then bad review / obtain refunds for faulty products.His seller health will drop, just increase the accounts or purchase aged amazon accounts in order to keep him down or put him out.

End result, he'll end up here looking for advice

Thank You "slainte"

 

[Kshatriya]

Use all the negative issues he points in his correspondence as building blocks to fix the gaps. Then your product will definitely be better than the competitor's.

 

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[Roli]

So, just found out that one of my competitors has been corresponding with his list and negatively speaking about one of our products.

Sounds like you're doing something right, imagine if he was ignoring you!

 

[Growth & Learn]

Use all the negative issues he points in his correspondence as building blocks to fix the gaps. Then your product will definitely be better than the competitor's.

Nah. It's mostly opinion based. Not a lot of fact behind what he's saying.

 

[Dwight Schrute]

Not a lot of fact behind what he's saying.

^^^^ If that's true I'd beat him in his own game, in a humorous way.

For example, publicly thank him on social media for being such a loyal customer.
Thank him for discouraging his list to buy your products, because you had a supply bottleneck lately.
Tell him he did well. Ask him where you should send his paycheck.

Just an example, pretty sure there are a million ways to do it more elegant than what I've written here.

In essence, I'd position myself as the cool dude who has only good intentions.
And if the competition swallows the bait, they will position themselves as a butthurt
grumpy doofus.

 

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[Roli]

Nah. It's mostly opinion based. Not a lot of fact behind what he's saying.

I'm interested in what you would think about another company's product if you had read similar disparaging comments from a rival company, would it stop you from buying the product? If so why?

Opportunity is all around us, this is an opportunity to learn, maybe something about marketing, maybe something about human nature in general, don't get angry, be thankful for the opportunity.

 

[Supa]

get rid of him/her. amazon has a zero tolerance for vendors who disrespect customers and will close the vendors account.

Create numerous customer accounts ,purchase pre-paid visa cards,open numerous gmail accounts with safe proxies ($2 per proxy) .once created (10 accounts) buy from your customer then bad review / obtain refunds for faulty products.His seller health will drop, just increase the accounts or purchase aged amazon accounts in order to keep him down or put him out.

End result, he'll end up here looking for advice

Thank You "slainte"

That's just pretty f*cked up tbh..

@Growth & Learn not experienced with this, but I'm always a fan of the humor way to handle those type of things. Done right it will make you look superior to your competitor, since you don't have to use bs like he has to.

After Taco Bell once ran ads featuring guys named Ronald McDonald who just love the restaurant’s new breakfast offerings, McDonald's fired back in a great way:

 

[Roli]

Wow! That's powerful, it says; "Thanks for reminding people about us" and at the same time saying "Aww, da poor widdle puppy business trying to take on us; sweet." Haha, hate Mac D's, love this ad Oh and it also implies "Ve vill crush you, if you try this shit again." Lol oh lol oh lol

 

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[mom]

Nah. It's mostly opinion based. Not a lot of fact behind what he's saying.

This is what i detest about the online culture....say something..no facts..to bring another business down. Heck there were even businsses set up to bad mouth companies. And then people being people will take their "opinion" as fact.

 

[OldFaithful]

get rid of him/her. amazon has a zero tolerance for vendors who disrespect customers and will close the vendors account.

Create numerous customer accounts ,purchase pre-paid visa cards,open numerous gmail accounts with safe proxies ($2 per proxy) .once created (10 accounts) buy from your customer then bad review / obtain refunds for faulty products.His seller health will drop, just increase the accounts or purchase aged amazon accounts in order to keep him down or put him out.

This is sooo NOT fastlane behavior. Please read the book and reconsider. Please no one actually do things like this. This is just the type of thing that has motivated our culture to label all businessmen as greedy, manipulative crooks. I can only hope that this was posted in jest.

Our time and energies would be much better spent working to provide the best product/service possible and providing our customer an awesome experience with our businesses.

 

[Jon L]

Yeah I'm smart enough to not talk shit about my competitors. Most of us in this business are. He's up and coming though. Targeting me.

I talked with a sales rep from TopTal on Skype yesterday. I told her about my experience with Upwork and how it was pretty close to the worst customer service experience I've ever had. She just smiled knowingly and started talking about how great TopTal is to work with. Very classy...she said a ton without having to say anything.

 

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[GuestUser141]

This is sooo NOT fastlane behavior. Please read the book and reconsider. Please no one actually do things like this. This is just the type of thing that has motivated our culture to label all businessmen as greedy, manipulative crooks. I can only hope that this was posted in jest.

Our time and energies would be much better spent working to provide the best product/service possible and providing our customer an awesome experience with our businesses.

I two believe in customer centric methodology, how ever, if as i believe the thread writer,was experiencing a bullying tactic ,then take the gloves off.

I,m for marquis of queensbury rules,however,the world doesn,t always abide by rules,as such it's always good to let a bully understand this,if you have to go toe to toe.