Badmouthing The Competition

Submitted by Syv Ritch on 8. October 2008 - 23:00

At IBM, it's against corporate policy and is a fireable offense if during a sales call you mention a competitor's name especially in a disparaging manner.

If "they" ask about "Joe Photo", your direct competition, never badmouth your competition. Never say:

  • He's always late...
  • Last time he got drunk at the wedding...
  • He always goes over budget...
  • He's so slow with the delivery of the photos...
  • He uses a cheap photo...

Instead you can always say:

Here's what I do differently:

  • I am always on time, like today...
  • I never eat nor drink at any of these receptions...
  • I am always on time and on budget
  • I am super fast, you will have your photo proofs the next day...
  • Your photos will be printed on the highest quality photo paper and will last at least 100 years.

I never badmouth the competition; I only state how I differentiate myself as a photographer compared to "Joe Photo". Also notice, that at no point do I mention the aesthetics of "Joe Photo".