Latest / Closing the Deal with Fexingo: Sales, Negotiation, and Revenue Conversations for Operators / How One Rep Won a Deal by Asking for a Competitor's Quote
Transcript
- Lucas: So there's a sales tactic that sounds almost backwards — and I've seen it work in a deal where everything was stuck. Luna: Backwards how? Like, asking for something that should hurt your chances? Lucas: Exactly. The rep said to the prospect: 'Could you share the quote you got from our competitor?' Now, most sales training says never bring up the competition directly. But this rep did, and it saved the deal. Luna: Wait — the prospect actually shared it? I'd expect them to say 'that's confidential' or just ghost. Lucas: In this case, the prospect was a mid-market manufacturing firm, about three hundred employees, considering a CRM migration. They had two finalists: our rep's company, call it CRM Company A, and a well-known competitor, Company B. The deal had been quiet for three weeks. The rep sent a short email: 'To help me structure the best possible proposal, would you be open to sharing the competitor's quote? I want to make sure we're competitive on value, not just price.' Luna: And the prospect replied with the competitor's pricing and feature list? Lucas: They did. The competitor had offered a twenty percent discount off list, plus a free migration service. The prospect also mentioned they were worried about implementation time. That was the hidden objection — not price, but risk of downtime. Luna: So by asking for the quote, the rep uncovered the real objection. That's clever, but is it replicable? I feel like most prospects would shut down. Lucas: It works under specific conditions. First, you have to have built enough trust that the prospect sees you as a partner, not just a vendor. This rep had done three demos and a site visit. Second, you frame the ask as collaboration — 'help me help you.' If you sound like you're fishing for intel to undercut the competitor, it backfires. Luna: Right, the tone matters enormously. What if the prospect says no? Lucas: Then you've lost nothing. You can follow up with a softer ask: 'Is there anything in their proposal that you found particularly compelling?' That often gets a verbal answer. But the key is, by asking, you signal confidence. You're not afraid of the competition. That changes the dynamic. Luna: I've used a version of this in consulting. When a client mentioned a rival firm, I'd ask: 'What did they propose that stood out to you?' Nine times out of ten, they'd tell me exactly what I needed to address. Lucas: Exactly. It flips the script. Instead of defending against a ghost competitor, you bring the competitor into the open. Now you can position your solution against real data. In the CRM deal, the rep used the competitor's migration offer as a benchmark — they matched the free migration, but emphasized their faster implementation timeline, which addressed the risk objection. Luna: Did they win the deal? Lucas: They did. Three-year contract, about two hundred forty thousand dollars total. The prospect later told the rep that the willingness to ask for the competitor's quote was what sealed it. It showed the rep wasn't hiding anything and was confident in their value. Luna: That's a powerful anecdote. But I want to push back a little — doesn't this tactic only work in complex B2B sales with long cycles? In a commoditized market, the competitor's quote might just be a lower price, and you can't match it without destroying margins. Lucas: Fair point. If you're selling a commodity, asking for the quote might force you into a price war you can't win. But even then, you can use the information to differentiate on something other than price — service, warranty, convenience. The tactic is about gathering intel, not about price-matching. Luna: So the real value is uncovering the full decision criteria, not just the price tag. Lucas: Exactly. The competitor's quote is a window into the prospect's priorities. If they lead with price, you know where you stand. If they lead with features, you can emphasize your strengths. Without that intel, you're negotiating blind. Luna: What about timing? When in the sales cycle should you ask? Lucas: Late stage, when the prospect is actively comparing. If you ask too early, before they've built trust, it feels pushy. The rep in our story asked after the prospect had said they were evaluating two options. That's the sweet spot. Luna: And if you're the one being asked for your quote by a competitor's rep? How do you handle it? Lucas: That's a whole other episode. But briefly, I'd say: be transparent about your process, but don't hand over your pricing without understanding why. You can say, 'I'd be happy to share our proposal once we've agreed on the scope.' That keeps control. Luna: So the takeaway for our listeners: if you're in a stalled deal and you have a good relationship, consider asking for the competitor's quote. But only if you can handle the answer gracefully. Lucas: And only if you're prepared to act on what you learn. The rep in our story didn't just get the quote — they restructured their entire proposal around the prospect's revealed concerns. That's the real work. Luna: Before we wrap, I want to mention something. We're able to keep this show ad-free and focused on real tactics because of a small group of listeners who chip in monthly. If these conversations have helped you in a negotiation or a deal, you can support us at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. It genuinely makes a difference. Lucas: Yeah, it's a listener-funded model, and we're grateful for every bit of support. It lets us keep digging into these specific, practical stories without any sponsor pressure. Luna: Exactly. And if you ever try this competitor quote tactic, let us know how it goes. We'd love to hear a real-world example. Lucas: Alright, that's it for this episode. Next time, we'll look at a deal that was won by saying 'no' to a prospect's request — and why sometimes walking away is the most powerful move.