Issue #108

Stop Playing Games, Start Changing Rules

Last week we looked at incumbents, the ones who sink into a client like damp in the walls.

If you missed it, here it is.

They’re hard to dislodge because they’ve built processes, friendships and inertia that buyers mistake for safety.

They’re dangerous opponents that you won’t beat by copying or competing head on. They can outspend and outmanoeuvre you internally all day long.

The only way is to change the rules. Tilt the pitch until the giant’s strengths become their weaknesses.

Here’s my guide to the best ideas for doing this:

Exploit Their Blind Spots

Big suppliers want the headline contract. They will often ignore awkward, low-margin pieces of work that still matter to the client.

In freight, I’ve seen challengers take on neglected Polish lanes the global integrator didn’t bother with. That wedge became the foothold for a much larger deal.

Action: Find the problems your incumbent competitor quietly avoids. Solve those first and then network and position yourself as the trusted advisor for decision makers.

Weaponise Speed

Incumbents move slowly because of their size or the customer’s size. Too many stakeholders, too many integration points, too much internal politics.

One SaaS challenger countered this with a 30-day pilot in a single department. Low sign-off, two measurable outcomes, and proof that value didn’t need twelve months of PowerPoint. That pilot opened the door to a Fortune 500 contract.

Action: Design a pilot small enough to sit under one manager’s budget. Deliver one visible result fast, and make the buyer look good within a quarter.

Redefine Risk

For the buyer, risk isn’t just money. It’s their reputation. Incumbents bury risk in long contracts and jargon.

A challenger equipment supplier flipped the script with phased agreements and a clean exit at 12 months. The product was the same quality, but buyers felt safer signing.

Action: Structure terms that make you the safe option. When buyers feel they can walk away, they usually don’t.

Here's a reminder about how to get yourself in the right mindset to see this, click here.

Scale Proof, Not Hype

Glossy decks don’t convince anyone. Solid repeatable proof does. I have still included this guide as a set of slides as a bonus for you, here.

A consultancy I know wrote a one-page summary after every project: three problems, three fixes, three results.

Prospects read them and thought, “That’s our mess too.” Those scrappy sheets opened more conversations than any campaign.

Action: Turn every win into a one-page proof. Keep it human, keep the numbers clear, and let the buyer draw their own conclusion.

Tilt the Scoreboard

Incumbents always pick metrics that flatter them: uptime, coverage, market share. I even knew a transport company that reported quarterly on average tyre usage…

A cloud vendor changed the game to “time to value.” While the giant boasted about 99.9% uptime, the challenger went live in weeks. They turned uptime into a given.

Action: Choose the one measure your competitor cannot win on. Make it the only scoreboard that matters.

Here's a link to my article about another important differentiator for a new client - you, click here.

Enterprise Sales Judo

In Judo, you use an opponent’s strength against them. You also wear silly pyjamas, I am not suggesting we go that far with selling - keep the suit.

Beating an incumbent is about finding the thing they won’t fix, proving value faster, offering safety the buyer can feel, telling stories that land, and changing what counts.

Do that and the giant stops being untouchable. They become what they are: slow, heavy, and in your way.

A complete set of the slides for this topic are available - click link below to download the PDF.

​Change the Rules to Incumbents.pdf​

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