How Well Do You Know Your Competition?

When Chuck was a copier salesman, his company brought out a new high speed machine with many extra features.  It was also considerably more expensive.  Chuck installed the new machine on an approval basis with a customer who had been using their old machine but whose requirements had increased greatly.  The added features seemed to more than justify the higher price, so he was surprised, when he phoned a few days later only to be told  that the customer had decided to purchase a competitive model.  Chuck said he would be right over.  It occurred to him, however, that he didn't know anything about the competitive model the customer had mentioned.  So he stopped in the competitors showroom and studied the various features of the machine while they demonstrated it.  This enabled him, when he reached his customers place of business, to make an exact comparison of the two machines and show why his was much better suited to the customers needs and well worth the added cost.  The client agreed and signed the order then and there.  It pays says Chuck, not merely to know what you are talking about, but to know what your competitor is talking about as well.