Launching Competing SaaS (how blatant can you mention your competitor)


3

I am launching some SaaS later next week that will be directly competing with someone who has a monopoly in the space. We will (hopefully) be cheaper, more features, better support and more transparent.

My question is what is "unethical" / would reflect badly on me and the company. I plan on doing some or all of the following:

  • Directly comparing why we are better with them
  • Mentioning on certain features "try doing this with product X"
  • Offering free service for people who send in proof of cancelling / getting a refund at our competitor.

I feel that points 1 & 2 would be fine although should I never directly mention the competitor's name and just say "try doing this elsewhere", "compared to competitor average".

Point 3 seems very gray area and the kind of thing that could make us look scummy?

Marketing Competition Saas

asked Aug 11 '11 at 04:59
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Nextgenneo
327 points
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1 Answer


5

  • Point 1 - good. Make sure your product is in the "left most column" (it matters!)
  • Point 2 - rephrase: See what you can do with "OUR" Product (Trust me words make a difference)
  • Point 3 - you won't get that till you don't get them to try it out.
    They may not want to cancel immediately either. So don't do it. Let
    them have both. Once they "tell" you that it's all "YOU" then ask
    them for the proof of cancellation and offer them MORE services.
    Offer it like something they can click and 'register' for or
    something like that...

Point #3 may not make you look scummy but it feels kinda "cheap" (for lack of a better word, apologies) - it's like bribing people to use your product. You may need to prove your worth before the bribe is worth it :)

Enter a gray area with grayness in approach...feel the waters, slowly and steadily move in, make strong foothold and once confident then you can offer that without losing face or feeling "iffy"

answered Aug 11 '11 at 05:17
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Ph D
422 points

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Marketing Competition Saas