Running a training businessFall protection
This week I made a mistake on a sales call. A prospect asked why our Fall Protection Instructor program is $2,500 when another provider is roughly half that. I was caught slightly off guard. In my mind, that provider isn’t a direct competitor. They specialize in something very different than what we do. So I answered at a high level:
“We eat, sleep, and breathe instructor development. They focus on something else.” Technically true. But incomplete. And a little dismissive. Here’s the mistake: When a prospect compares you to someone else, they’re not attacking you. They’re doing due diligence. It’s a legitimate business question.
My internal belief that “we’re fundamentally different” shouldn’t change the professionalism of my response. Price gaps require structure. Clarity. Specifics. Not positioning. I followed up with a more structured breakdown explaining:
- Instructional performance evaluation
- Technical depth requirements
- Certification infrastructure
- Activations and centralized record management
- Ongoing system alignment
That’s what should have been communicated clearly from the start. The lesson for me: Never let your perception of a competitor lower the precision of your answer. Even if you believe the offerings are dramatically different. The market decides comparison. Not you. And premium positioning requires premium clarity.