The Ethical Hack to Win Over Your Competitor’s Clients
R3 I guardianmarketing.substack.com I ExperienceR3.com
You’re in a conversation with a potential client. They clearly need what you offer, and you know you can get them better results than their current service provider — or the competitor they’re leaning toward.
But for all your efforts, you just can't seem to get them to understand that YOU are the better choice.
They might say things like:
“I’ve been working with them for a while, and I don’t want to switch if I don’t have to.”
“They’ve helped me a lot—I don’t know if I need to change right now.”
“I appreciate your insight, but I think I’ll stick with what I know.”
Frustrating, right? You can see the gaps in the service being given to them by your competitor. You know they’re not getting everything they should be - but instead of seeing the opportunity to improve, they’re doubling down on their current choice.
Here’s the problem: Calling out the person they seem to trust (or have invested in) can easily backfire. People get entrenched in their decisions, can become defensive about their own choices, and at the end of the day get caught up by one of the most persistent human mindsets.
In order to overcome this, we have to speak with them in a way that not only doesn't attack their decisions or position, but reveals something new which allows them to question and come to the obvious conclusion themselves (that you are the better choice).
Understanding the Psychology of Buyer Switching
You might assume that if a prospect is not entirely happy with the service provider they have hired that it may be easy to make them change. Unfortunately, this is far from the truth.
And if you're in a situation where your prospect hasn't made a purchase yet, they may have entrenched ideas and beliefs about your competitor which you still need to be wary of and use finesse to overcome.
Sunk Cost Fallacy
This one you'll be familiar with and you've probably done it yourself. Ever spend hundreds, or thousands, or tens of thousands on a particular strategy or contractor and think "well, we've invested this far, it would be stupid to give up now."
No, it wouldn't. Yet that's not what our human mindset wants us to think. It doesn't want change, and it doesn't want loss. The idea that you spent all that money on something you maybe shouldn't have is too much for your human mindset to handle.
Regardless of the situation, if you're trying to get someone to choose you over someone else, you may be facing this force.
That being said, a sophisticated business owner may understand this dynamic and know that if they wouldn't buy in based on what they know now, then it's also a mistake to keep paying. (So this can be a good filter for the right kind of people)
Don't Want to Look Stupid
This one is more general but similar to the above. People just don't want to look stupid. And this will apply even if they haven't spent money on your competitor.
It might be that the prospect you're speaking to heavily favors your competitor over you. They really like the person, how they talk about the service they provide, etc. They may have a lot of emotional buy-in with them.
If you come along and just directly attack your competitor, you might make your prospect feel stupid for their choices and what they have decided to believe and trust.
There are two dynamics that happen in this case:
Making your prospect feel stupid will immediately put them at odds with you (and good luck making a sale then).
If confronted with the possibility that they've made a bad choice, your prospect may further entrench themselves in their point of view and even go to the extent of defending your competitor - because they want to believe they have good taste and understanding!
People Can't Handle Uncertainty
"People prefer the certainty of misery to the misery of uncertainty"
- Virginia Satir
This concept is at the heart of every human behavior change situation. When you're coming in saying you can do the work better than the person they've already hired (your competitor), you are going up against a whole lot ...
The biggest of these is our basic human instinct to choose the devil we know over the uncertain.
It isn't even a conscious choice.
We are hardwired to avoid uncertainty. Uncertainty is scary. Uncertainty is the lion on the other side of the hill that could eat you. Certainty is the safety of the walled castle (but there's not really enough food and y'all are kinda starving).
At a certain point, we can push ourselves into the uncertain because it becomes the only option other than death.
But in business, this is usually not the case, and even if it could be (even if the path your competitor has them on is really bad), it's very difficult to see.
HOWEVER
What we can do is use that dynamic of uncertainty to our advantage, by flipping things around and making them realize the person they hired (your competitor) is actually a much less certain choice than they thought.
Ask the Right Questions to Reveal Gaps
Now that we understand why people resist change, the key is not to attack the person they have invested in and/or trust but to help them discover the gaps on their own.
Your job isn’t to convince them outright that their provider is failing. Instead, you’ll ask the right questions - ones that reveal an unknown or a blind spot in their current strategy.
The most effective way to discredit a competitor is to get the prospect to **realize what they’re missing - without you having to say it.
✅ Example:
“Does your accountant use The Augusta Loophole?”
(They say ‘no’ or ‘what’s that?’)
“Oh, any good accountant or CPA would be taking advantage of that. Just go ask them and see what they say.”
This creates three powerful effects:
It makes them question whether their provider is as great as they thought.
It doesn’t put you in a position of attacking - just observing - so they aren’t put on the defensive.
It naturally leads them to seek a better solution (you).
✅ Another Example:
“I’m sure they taught you how to reallocate your time to get a 20% increase in your income after they solved your other problem, right? I just wanted to double-check to make sure they covered that.”
Why does this work so well? Because it forces the prospect to go looking for an answer that their provider should have already given them.
And when they don’t get a satisfying answer? That’s when doubt starts creeping in.
These kinds of questions don’t just introduce doubt - they force a realization that can’t be unseen. They now have to ask: “If my service provide didn’t tell me this, what else haven’t they told me?”
The Missing Piece Effect
What we’re actually doing here is filling gaps in their knowledge - gaps that they didn’t even know existed.
Think of it like a puzzle:
When someone hires a service provider, they believe they’re getting the full picture - that all the pieces of their problem are being solved.
But when you highlight a missing piece, everything shifts.
Suddenly, the solution they had isn’t as complete as they thought - and you’re the one revealing the missing piece.
This also explains why some people are able to command a significant premium for what might seem like the same work you do.
When people pay a premium, they’re not paying for the slice of pie you sold them - they’re paying for the hope that slice completes the pie. If they suddenly realize there’s a missing piece, that piece is more valuable than everything else they’ve paid for.
AND, if you’re the only one who has revealed that piece to them, you become the only answer available.
When you identify a gap in their current service provider’s approach, two things happen immediately:
1️⃣ They lose confidence in their service provider.
The person they trust suddenly seems less certain, less complete, and possibly incompetent.
“Why didn’t they tell me this?” starts running through their mind.
2️⃣ They gain confidence in you.
You’re the one who revealed a valuable missing piece.
You didn’t attack their provider, but now you look like the person with the full picture.
This is why high-end services don’t compete on price. They aren’t just selling a solution - they’re selling certainty. Once a prospect realizes the person they’ve hired or are considering doesn’t offer that, they’ll instinctively look to the person who does: you.
How to Implement This Strategy Right Now
Understanding these principles is powerful, and probably leads you to the obvious point: how do you ask the right questions?
What makes a question effective at revealing gaps?
How do you frame it so that the prospect naturally starts questioning their provider?
How do you ensure your question doesn’t create resistance but instead leads them toward you?
This is exactly what Nic and Laurel break down inside The Cash Now Blitz Bundle1.
Inside the bundle, you’ll get:
✅ A deep dive into crafting strategic questions that make competitors irrelevant. (You can start Day 1 at 59:10 and listen for about 30 minutes to get started)
✅ Real examples from workshop attendees as Nic and Laurel refine their positioning live.
✅ A playbook for turning doubt into action - so when your prospect starts questioning their provider, they naturally move toward you.
It's time to Engage the Field to test what you know and find out what is true for you uniquely. The workshop in The Cash Now Blitz Bundle will give you actionable steps you can take to Engage the Field today with this idea.
Be Useful. Be Present. Love the Journey.
Joseph Robertson, CMO Man Bites Dog
Ready to Step Into The Arena?
Ready to engage the field? Man Bites Dog paid subscribers have comment access unlocked below. (They’re also sent a killer welcome package in the mail with all kinds of opportunities that are not available in digital format)
Here are some other options:
Get on the waitlist to join the Arena: engagethefield.com
Check out the Engaging The Field Handbook
Grab your your own copy of the R3 system (it’s a book and it’s not cheap)
The Blitz provides a TON of actionable insights. I attended and leveraged them immediately to close a record number of sales between the holidays. Thanks for these reminders, Joseph!