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Sales Warrior Lesson 14: Competitors

However, Sun Tzu recognized something that most do not: often BOTH opponents are losers. This is clear if we recognize that the goal is not just beating an opponent but making victory pay. Conflict is always costly. Very often, it is more costly than any possible reward.

So we have an array of ideas in attack, battle, and conflict that all have costs. Movement into new areas is an attack and costs something. Attacks that involve confrontation are battles and are more costly yet. Battles that involve destructive conflict are the most costly, so much so that they are seldom profitable.

Typically, we avoid conflict, but unfortunately, it is not always avoidable. This is the topic of chapter 7, Armed Conflict.

Exercise: List five ways in which your sales position is eroded when you get into competitive battles with competitors trying to win an account.

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Copyright 2005-2008 Science of Strategy Institute, Clearbridge Publishing, and Gary Gagliardi
The leading publishers of books based on Sun Tzu's The Art of War