Looking to CRUSH the Competition in 2026???

Salespeople love to talk about competition like it’s a cage match.
“Us vs. them.”
“Crush the competition.”
“Steal market share.”

Cool slogans. Fun chest-thumping. Also…mostly nonsense.

Because here’s the uncomfortable truth: your biggest competitor isn’t the company across town – it’s you.
Your habits. Your preparation. Your follow-up. Your mindset. Your willingness to do the uncomfortable work consistently.

You don’t lose deals because a competitor exists.
You lose deals because:

You didn’t invest the time to create and nurture a relationship

You didn’t ask better questions

You didn’t listen closely enough

You didn’t clearly articulate value

You didn’t follow up like a professional

That’s not shade. That’s freedom. Because the one thing you can actually control is you.

Now here’s where it gets interesting – and where most salespeople miss the opportunity.

Your competitors can actually become one of your best sources of business.

Yes, I said it. Put the pitchfork down.

When you build real relationships with competitors – not fake LinkedIn “Nice to connect!” nonsense – a few powerful things happen:

Deals that aren’t a fit for them suddenly become a fit for you (I’ve sent referrals to my local Sandler Franchisee <who is excellent at what he does> and he’s sent them my way when we were not the right fit for what the prospect needed). Today, a “friendly competitor,” who I highly respect offered to turn over a group to me with well over 60k members. I love my competitors and wish them all well. I hope each of them earns $1,000,000 per year (as long as I make $1,000,001 – I love them but I AM competitive!) I have an abundance mentality…there’s PLENTY of business for everyone, including my competitors.

Prospects who trust them start trusting you by association

You gain market intelligence without stalking their website at midnight

You elevate the entire buying experience instead of racing to the bottom on price

I’ve seen it over and over again. Competitors refer business when:

They’re overloaded

The prospect isn’t aligned

The timing is off

The solution isn’t right

And they only do this for people they respect.

Sales isn’t war, even though many sales books tell you it is. Sales is a professional ecosystem.
Buyers talk. Vendors talk. Reputations travel faster than your proposal.

So instead of obsessing over what they are doing:

***Get better at your craft

***Raise your standards

***Sharpen your conversations

***Build real relationships – even with people who “compete” with you

If you focus on becoming excellent, ethical, and easy to do business with, the market will notice.
Including your competitors.

And ironically…they might end up sending business your way.

Now that’s winning without throwing a punch.