Living in a Fool’s Paradise: The Ideal Competitor

How often have you heard the phrase living in a fool’s paradise? Well, a frightening observation is to see it practiced from a sales perspective!

In our world, a fool’s paradise is defined by the following choices that our competitors make.

• an unwillingness to change
• happy with the status quo
• no thought or preparation for the future
• they bring nothing to the table except their established relationship(s)

In today’s sales world you and I are always looking for the ideal prospect. But how about the ideal competitor? One that is living in a fools paradise?

Looking closer

A competitor that has fallen into this trap has grown soft, feeling that present circumstances will carry them into the future. The sad observation is many of these organizations have their customers (your prospects) caught in their downward spiral. You know the type, those that claim and hide behind their relationships alone.

Five proven solutions to expose the fool (your competitor) and his fool’s paradise:

1. Pull the gloves off.
2. Drive change beginning with one influential person that is looking to leverage their knowledge. Find this person and partner with them offering fresh ideas and solutions.
3. Reach an agreement with your contact that you may be going higher in their organization and ask for the blessings.
4. Leverage your successful customer testimony with a peer in your prospects organization.
5. Stay the course, progress at their pace.

By taking this path with a prospect that is looking to change and is interested in innovative ideas you can, and will prevail. You can save your own customer from the downward spiral of accepting the status quo, better known as a fool’s paradise.

Questions

1. Have you ever been lulled into settling into a fool’s paradise?
2. What did it take to shake you from this mindset?
3. How many of your prospects have fallen into this habit?

As always, I am here to help.

To your success,
Andy