I’m currently reading The Framemaker Sale by Brent Adamson, co-author of The Challenger Sale

In it, Brent poses a thought-provoking question:

“Is the value of the supplier’s solution relevant?”

He tells a story about a tech company that didn’t lose to a competitor, it lost to a car park

Here’s what happened: the company had a fully built ROI model, a rock-solid MEDDIC process, and everything lined up to win the deal

But when it went to the board, the final decision wasn’t about technology at all

The winning argument was that customers needed somewhere to park, because without parking, no one could get into the building to use the service

It’s a powerful reminder that in every business, there are competing priorities all fighting for the same budget

Budweiser calls this the “competition of the throat.” 

When you go to a store for a drink, you might buy a Budweiser, but you could just as easily buy Coke, Pepsi, or water

The competition isn’t just other beers, it’s everything else that could take the same share of attention, time, and money

So, how do you stay relevant in that noisy, competitive environment?

Simple, you connect with as many people as possible within your target accounts

But here’s the key: don’t pitch. Instead, be human. Have real conversations

When you do this, you’ll uncover the political backdrop that shapes decisions, find additional sponsors, and discover the hidden influencers who can proactively pull the deal together

Conclusion:
The lesson is clear: the “competition” isn’t just your competitor’s product

It’s every other problem, project, and priority on the table

Social selling gives you visibility into those dynamics and allows you to build relationships that make your solution not just relevant, but the obvious choice