Countering Competitor Canard

"It reminds me of the time I helped plan the Moon Landings whilst producing one of David Bowie's albums and launching the Big Mac."

I chuckled reading this comment the other day.

One of many all along similar lines. Deriding the plausibility of a mainstream media article. Supposedly recounting the real-life fairytale of school-teacher marries global rock star. Having met online. Said star proposing on their second meet-up. Yet leaving new spouse abandoned upon wedlock. Only to inevitably divorce.

Other wits variously suggested it was the plot of a Hallmark movie, without the sad ending. Or of a Mills & Boon type throwaway novel. Perhaps even written by Barbarai Cartland?

Beyond the issue of onrushing slop about to deluge our feeds, and worryingly B2B marketing campaigns too, it struck me there is a pertinent issue this raises within our selling.

What to do when we hear a clearly outrageous claim aimed at dampening enthusiasm for our option.

That may be about a physical competitor's 'glory', casting doubt on our capabilities, or delusional inertian backup of the status quo.

The template of the above dismissal has its place, for sure.

Hearing that reminds me of the time I helped SpaceX get off the ground whilst secretly co-writing a Taylor Swift album and inventing smash burgers.

Depending on strength of relationship and endorsement of the person passing on said claim, natch.

The sober path though, is to pursue evidence.

We must separate fact from fiction, feeling from opinion, a wish from reality.

As you may well know, I never mention those selling against me. Let alone bad-mouth them. They are not competition on any bid where I am not alone. The driving force simply the prospect's needs and how I can uniquely sate them.

A deliberately misleading piece of information though, with sole intention to damage my ambitions, must be addressed.

You don't want its potentially foul odour to contaminate otherwise pristine conditions for us to operate and shine.

In the past I have certainly had to face down such shameless skulduggery.

Such-and-such alternative is about to leapfrog you. Some one-time client kicked you out. You can't, actually, handle it.

Always a concoction built on distortion and spread by trepidation.

Akin to the dramatic price drop through the floor at the death. A tactic borne of desperation by those knowing they've lost the deal.

If someone resorts to such fantasy thinking or even downright slander, then what sane buyer would trust their career to such hands?

You need evidence for when those allied with you counter fabrications talking internally.

You need evidence when confronted by prevarication in the heat of a meet.

"Let's look at the facts..."