Article · 8 min read

Positioning and Competition

April Dunford · aprildunford.com Free Intermediate

Makes the distinction between competitors and competitive alternatives, and points out that the status quo wins roughly one deal in four. That reframe changes which comparison you should actually be fighting.

• Your main competitive alternative is usually the status quo (spreadsheets, manual work), not a rival product.
• Enterprises lose roughly 20 to 30 percent of deals to no decision, so the status quo is the competitor to beat.
• Ignore phantom competitors that never actually appear on a buyer's shortlist, they only dilute your story.
• The common mistake is defining competition either too narrowly (lookalike products) or too broadly (everything).