How to Get Your Competitors to Say You Are the Better Choice

I’ve spent a lot of time on airplanes over the past 25 years.

Still do. As a result, I’ve earned the right to be one of the guys sipping a drink in First Class that everyone else looks at and hates as they walk by, banging the carry-on that probably won’t fit, on the way to their smaller-than-their butt, harder-than-a-diamond coach seat.

I’ve earned First Class. On my preferred airlines anyway.

But sometimes I need to fly a different airline for schedule purposes.

Then I need to stuff my 6’1 frame into the worse-than-hell regional airlines seat that more resembles a Honey-I Shrunk-The-Kids chair in a kindergarten classroom.

And usually next to a Burger King frequent-customer…a super-sized person whose girth invades a third of my already-too-small seat area in addition to his own.

So every time I see an ad for fractional jet ownership (kind of like a timeshare for corporate jets.), naturally I pay attention.

But when I look at the price, reality sets in, and any way I bend, spin, and rationalize it, I just can’t justify it today.

As my buddies and I say in our totally uncensored bar conversations, you need “F-you” kind of money to justify that. In the future, sure. It’s one of my carrots to pursue.

So the WALL STREET JOURNAL ad caught my eye.

It was for one of the jet companies. Their differential advantage is that their firm is owned and managed by pilots, and that each pilot flies only one plane, as opposed to flying whichever one is closest to the hangar door. Makes sense.

At the end of the ad, they said (I’m paraphrasing) that when you’re shopping for a fractional jet ownership, ask these questions of other companies:

1. Are the owners and managers pilots?

2. Do the pilots stay with their own planes?

I like it!

They’re setting the criteria for shopping—according to their strengths—and then providing buyers with the questions to ask competitors.

Sweet.

You can do something similar:

If your sales cycle is longer and customers must involve a search committee, find out what their decision-making criteria is:

“What three points will you and the committee weigh most heavily?”

“What, specifically will you be looking for?”

“The last time you picked a vendor in this area, what were the determining factors?”

“So who does the committee recommend to, and what will he base his decision on?”

Then, of course, play up your strengths in those areas. And provide them with questions to ask of others.

“I would suggest you ask the other vendors about…”

So, find out how the decision will be made, who will make it, and then provide questions they should ask the others they are looking…questions that should help position you as the better choice.