Practical Sales Training™ > How To Lose The Sale > Bad Mouth Effect
Bad Mouth Effect
What Is It
Bad mouthing the competition, even if they’re genuinely rubbish, is never a wise move. It feels satisfying in the moment, but it rarely helps you.
Criticising a rival says more about you than it does about them. Buyers notice that, whether they say so or not.
Why Does It Work
It works because bad mouthing the competition only really draws attention to them. You’ve just put their name into the conversation, for free.
A buyer who wasn’t even considering that competitor now has a reason to look them up. That’s the opposite of what you were trying to achieve.
How Can You Use It
Never Criticise Them Yourself
Quite simply, don’t do it. Even if the competition are genuinely terrible, keep your views to yourself around a potential buyer.
It always comes across as insecurity, or a lack of real strength. Buyers read criticism of a rival as weakness, not confidence.
Let The Buyer Do The Talking
Instead, ask your potential buyer what they think of the competition. If they already use them, try a simple question. “Is there anything you’d change?” or “Are they looking after you?” both work well.
This is often enough to get someone else to raise the complaints themselves. Their faults come to light naturally, while your own reputation stays completely intact.
When It Works Best
Staying quiet works best in competitive pitches, where a buyer is actively comparing you against a named rival. Restraint here reads as genuine confidence.
Asking questions instead works particularly well with existing customers of a competitor. They’re often more than willing to share frustrations, if simply given the chance.
When It Becomes Dangerous
Bad mouthing a competitor becomes genuinely damaging the moment the buyer actually likes or respects that competitor. You’ve just insulted someone they trust, in front of them.
It’s also risky publicly, since any criticism shared online or in writing can resurface indefinitely. A private comment rarely stays private for long.
Common Mistakes
Assuming Buyers Share Your Opinion
Criticising a competitor assumes the buyer already dislikes them too. That assumption often turns out to be wrong, and it costs you credibility either way.
Doing It Indirectly, But Obviously
Thinly veiled digs land just as badly as direct criticism. Buyers see through the subtlety and read it as the same insecurity.
Forgetting Who’s Actually Listening
A throwaway comment to one buyer can travel further than expected, especially in small or close knit industries. Assume someone will repeat every word.
Bad Mouth Effect – An Example
Free Advertising For A Rival
Some of the biggest fast food brands have run long running public rivalries against each other for years. All this really achieves is advertising the competitor at the same time.
Every jab aimed at a rival puts that rival’s name in front of the exact same audience. The joke lands, but so does the free publicity for the other side.
See also
