Comparison Is the Thief of Joy

I came across this saying, of traditional source, after having recently blogged on similar via comic Jimmy Carr.

In our selling context, I have seen such blinkers curtail performance.

For instance, our competition is not with fellow team members, but against our quota.

As also mentioned in the above referenced post, Enemy Building can work when not obsessed with what they can do, but more what we can which they cannot. (Also in vogue at present from the terrific "reverse benchmarking" counter-thought within Unreasonable Hospitality.)

The angle though for our domain that occurs to me here, swivels to our prospect mindsets.

Probing for Buyer motivations is a hallmark of many a Sales creed.

Yet uncovering any comparator could prove vital.

If none exists, then other prime drivers lurk in there somewhere.

But yardsticks may feature.

It may not even be of obvious competitive nature. Beyond another market presence, there could be nods to internal players. Such as other locations, entities or even particular personnel.

As with all such tropes, the best pursuit is when focusing on a problem you resolve. In a manner that eschews goals for process improvement. Which if you find inside your prospect is the gold standard. Which you ought closely map onto.

Should a different gaze be in play, it's crucial you identify it. You could be "provocative", and try tease a reversal. As to align (or amend) in some way could make all the difference to both your ambitions and the success of any purchase that results.