How to Qualify Competition Beyond the Named Vendors.
You are in an active deal and you know there are other vendors involved, but you are not sure what you are really up against or how the buyer is thinking about their options.
Most reps track the obvious competitors - the other vendors on a shortlist. MEDDPICC's Competition element is broader than that. The real alternatives in any deal are three things: a named competitor, the status quo (doing nothing or keeping the current tool), and an internal build. Each of these has a different win strategy. If you only prepare for the vendor on the shortlist, you can lose to inertia or a 'we'll build it ourselves' decision you never saw coming.
Where it goes wrong
You spend three months competing against a named vendor, win that comparison, and then the deal stalls because the buyer decides to extend their current contract for another year. You were not competing against the vendor - you were competing against doing nothing. You never had a strategy for that.
What you'll be able to do
You can name every real alternative the buyer is considering, including inaction and internal options, and you can state in one sentence why the buyer might choose each one over you - which tells you exactly where to focus.
How to do it
Ask directly
Ask directly: 'What are your options if you decide not to move forward with us?' This surfaces status quo and build alternatives that buyers rarely volunteer.
For each alternative, ask your champion
For each alternative, ask your champion: 'Who inside your organisation would prefer that option, and what is their argument?' This tells you where internal resistance will come from.
Build a simple one-line answer to
Build a simple one-line answer to: 'Why would they choose the competitor?' and 'Why would they choose to do nothing?' If you cannot answer both, you have a gap.
Revisit competition at each stage
Revisit competition at each stage. A deal that starts with three vendors on a shortlist can end as a choice between you and the status quo. The competitive picture changes.
See the difference
Rep knows the buyer is also looking at one named competitor. They focus all their energy on differentiating against that vendor. The deal is lost when the CFO decides the current process is 'good enough for now' and defers the project. The rep had no strategy for that outcome.
Rep asks the champion: 'If you do not buy anything this year, what happens?' The champion says the team will probably keep using spreadsheets and the current vendor. The rep then asks: 'Who would argue for staying with the current vendor?' and learns the CFO is not convinced the pain is urgent enough. The rep works with the champion to build a cost-of-inaction case specifically for the CFO, addressing the real competition rather than just the named vendor.
You can name every real alternative the buyer is considering, including inaction and internal options, and you can state in one sentence why the buyer might cho
How you'll know it's working
You have got it when you can name all three types of competition in your deal - named vendor, status quo, and internal build - and have a one-sentence answer for why the buyer might choose each one.
Questions people ask
How do you qualify competition beyond the named vendors?
Most reps track the obvious competitors - the other vendors on a shortlist. MEDDPICC's Competition element is broader than that. You can name every real alternative the buyer is considering, including inaction and internal options, and you can state in one sentence why the buyer might choose each one over yo
What is the most common mistake to avoid?
You spend three months competing against a named vendor, win that comparison, and then the deal stalls because the buyer decides to extend their current contract for another year. You were not competing against the vendor - you were competing against doing nothing.
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