IFAI Expo: How to outsell your competition

Published On: November 3, 2021

During the education session “Outselling Your Competition: Four Activities Your Sales Team Must Be Doing Post-COVID” at IFAI Expo 2021 in Nashville, Tenn., James Auerbach, vice president—event segment for the American Rental Association, shared four measurable and respectable pillars that all salespeople must excel at in order to outsell their competition. Referred to as the “RSPF recipe,” Auerbach defined the pillars as research, scheduling, presentation and follow up.

Research should be carried out by sales team members every day and it is important for a manager to ensure their team is working from a verified prospect list. Auerbach also recommended that teams commit to having quarterly contact with their top 50 clients.

According to Auerbach, scheduling is the most pivotal habit that separates a great salesperson from an average salesperson. Constant (obsessive) schedule management is key, and managers should encourage team members to checkerboard their time in order to maximize efficiency.

Presentation is another pillar that salespeople should master in order to outsell their competition. Team members should embrace conversation, ask questions and practice patience when dealing with clients. Visuals, such as high-resolution photos and short videos, can also be utilized to effectively inform and pitch products and services.

Auerbach defined the follow up period as being one of the most neglected steps that sets great salespeople apart from average performers. To ensure a proper follow up with a client, salespeople should aim to incorporate a variety of communication methods (text, email, phone), space communications out accordingly, and calendar all attempts.