Three weeks into my first sales job and I have no idea how to handle it when a lead starts comparing us to a competitor
I recently joined a cybersecurity software company as a Business Development Executive. First proper sales role.
The product training went fine. I know what we sell, who it is for, and roughly how it is priced. That part I felt okay about going in.
What I was not ready for was this. A lead on a call this week mentioned they had already done a demo with CrowdStrike. Then they asked me a very specific question about how our pricing compares to what CrowdStrike had offered them.
I knew the general answer. But in that moment, under pressure, with the lead waiting, I did not have a clean response. The call did not fall apart but I could feel it go sideways a little.
Spoke to some of the senior reps after. They said you just develop instincts for it over time. I understand that. But I also have targets coming up next month and I would like to get better at this faster if possible.
So I wanted to ask people who have been doing this longer. When you know a lead is already talking to a competitor, what do you actually do to prepare before the call? Is there a process you follow or is it mostly experience at this point?