Would you slag off a competitor if you knew their work was shockingly bad?

Now there's a question!

The general rule seems to be No, we should never slag off our competitors.

EVER. However bad they are. However tempting it is.

It's just not good business etiquette and we may find it will backfire on us. Nobody likes to deal with people who are bitching and moaning.

Recently we put a shout out for a recommendation on social media for a particular business. Shortly after we had a PM touting for the business that included warning us off another business.

Now this person may have very valid reasons for warning us off, but to be honest, it put us off a little. We let him quote anyway and he continued to slag off the competitor whilst he was here! No prizes for guessing who didn't get my business.

BUT...

What I find interesting is that if we are talking to a client or a friend who was thinking about using a business we knew was shockingly bad, then of course we would warn them off.

But we are not 'allowed' to do the same to a prospect, even if we've become friends, if said business does the same as us.

What are your thoughts?

#sales #business #leadership #success