Can You Beat an Entrenched Competitor?

If you're trying to penetrate an account where your competition is already entrenched, you need answers to the following twelve questions:

1. Who has the customer met with?
2. What has the competitor sold to this customer to date?
3. What value did that competitor provide?
4. What does the customer perceive as the competitor's strengths and weaknesses?
5. What level of satisfaction does the competitor provide?
6. What is the customer's perception of the quality of the competitor's deliverables?
7. What decision-makers or influencers sponsored the competitor?
8. Who are the allies of the competitor?
9. Who opposes the competitor?
10. How does the customer feel about the relationship?
11. How does the customer feel about the sales rep for the competitor?
12. How do we compare?

The above is based upon conversation with Linda Richardson author of the New York Times best seller Perfect Selling and founder of the sales training firm Richardson.