We recently had an interesting customer service experience to blog about. The takeaway to share with readers is this: NEVER bad-mouth your competitors!

In the professional services industry, I believe these same truths apply:

• Your clients want to hear what you do well, not what others fail to do well
• Your clients want to hear how you can add value, not where others stumble

If all else fails, resort to the lesson your mother taught you growing up: if you cannot say anything nice, do not say anything at all!

Directly criticizing your competition makes you look bad. It makes you look unprofessional. It makes you look weak and worried and undermines the actual words coming out of your mouth. As a customer, I stop listening. This does not help you accomplish your presumed goal of making a sale.

• DO talk about your strengths
• DO explain why your product is strong / solid / high-performing / a good choice
• DO emphasize what you / your company has to offer

Here’s our pledge to you:  We invest in our development, strive to continuously improve & learn to be of as much value to you as possible.  You’ll never hear us bad-mouthing our competitors & belittling their work. We want to empower you to make the choice that is best for you & to help you get rid of lice so you & your family can get back to life

There is a fine line between “badmouthing” and “libel/slander”. Read about
When Does Bad-Mouthing the Competition Become Defamation? and what the Virginia Supreme Court had to say about it.

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