Premium GTM Situation
Competitive Displacement
Wedge & Switch. Respectful But Surgical.
Purpose-built for rip-and-replace deals. Unseat incumbents by finding the wedge, respecting what's working, and making the switch feel inevitable.
"Don't attack the competitor. Attack the problem the competitor can't solve. Let the customer connect the dots."
— Enterprise Sales Wisdom
The Displacement Timeline
| Stage | Goal | Timing |
|---|---|---|
| Plant the Seed | Create awareness of the gap | 6-12 months before renewal |
| Build the Case | Quantify cost of staying | 3-6 months before renewal |
| Create Urgency | Make switching feel inevitable | 1-3 months before renewal |
| Execute Switch | Remove all friction | At renewal |
The Philosophy
Competitive displacement is a long game. You're not just selling your product—you're helping them unsee the incumbent. The key is finding the wedge: the single capability gap that matters most to this specific prospect.
Never attack the competitor. Prospects defend choices they've made. Instead, focus on what they're missing. Let them discover the gap. Let them do the math on the cost of staying. Your job is to make switching feel inevitable, not aggressive.
Key Characteristics
- →Find the wedge. One gap that matters beats many features that don't.
- →Respect the incumbent. They chose it for a reason. Don't trash-talk.
- →Reduce switching friction. Migration, training, risk—address all of it.
- →Time to renewal matters. Plant seeds early, harvest at contract renewal.
- →Let them discover the gap. Questions over statements. Always.
When to Use
Best For
- • Rip-and-replace enterprise deals
- • Prospects approaching contract renewal
- • Clear wedge where you outperform incumbent
- • Deals where switching cost is the main blocker
Avoid When
- • Prospect just bought competitor (wait)
- • No clear wedge / parity product
- • Deep integration with competitor (high switch cost)
- • Champion is the one who chose incumbent
The Prompts
Cold Email
Write a competitive displacement cold email. Context: - Prospect: [NAME], [TITLE] at [COMPANY] - Their current vendor: [COMPETITOR THEY USE] - Signal: [What triggered this - growth, pain signal, contract timing, etc.] - My product: [What you sell] - Key wedge: [The one thing you do better than the incumbent] - When their contract renews: [If known] Competitive Displacement Email Rules: - Respect the incumbent. They chose it for a reason. Don't trash-talk. - Find the wedge—the ONE capability gap that matters most to them. - Acknowledge what's working (shows you understand their world). - Create curiosity about what they're missing, not fear about what they have. - Timing matters—reference contract renewal or growth trigger if known. - Make switching feel low-risk. Migration, implementation, learning curve. - Ask for a comparison conversation, not a full replacement pitch. - Under 100 words. Plant a seed, don't uproot the tree. Tone: Respectful, surgical, confident. Like someone who's done this transition before.
Discovery Call Questions
Generate competitive displacement discovery questions. Context: - Prospect company: [COMPANY] - Their current vendor: [COMPETITOR] - What competitor does well: [THEIR STRENGTHS] - What competitor does poorly: [THEIR GAPS] - My wedge: [WHERE I'M STRONGER] Competitive Displacement Discovery Approach: SATISFACTION QUESTIONS (understand what's working) - What do you like about [competitor]? - What made you choose them originally? - What's working well that you'd want to keep? GAP QUESTIONS (find the wedge) - What would you change if you could? - Where does [competitor] fall short of expectations? - What's evolved in your needs since you chose them? SWITCHING COST QUESTIONS (understand the friction) - What would make you consider a change? - What's the process for evaluating alternatives? - What concerns would you have about switching? TIMING QUESTIONS (find the window) - When does your contract renew? - What would need to happen before then? - Who else would need to be involved? Never attack the competitor. Let them discover the gaps themselves.
Objection Handling
Handle this objection in a competitive displacement deal. The objection: [PASTE OBJECTION HERE] Context: - Competitor they use: [COMPETITOR] - My wedge: [WHERE I'M STRONGER] - Their likely concern: [SWITCHING COST, RISK, EFFORT] Competitive Displacement Objection Framework: - "We're happy with [competitor]" = Find the 10% that's not perfect - "Switching is too much work" = Show migration path, reduce perceived risk - "We just renewed" = Plant seed for next cycle, stay in touch - "We've invested a lot in [competitor]" = Sunk cost fallacy, focus on future value Generate: 1. Acknowledgment that respects their current choice 2. A question to find the gap that matters 3. A low-risk next step (comparison, not commitment)
LinkedIn Message
Write a LinkedIn message for competitive displacement. Context: - Recipient: [NAME], [TITLE] - Their current vendor: [COMPETITOR] - Signal: [What triggered this outreach] - My wedge: [THE ONE THING I DO BETTER] Competitive Displacement LinkedIn Approach: - Reference a specific gap you've observed in their current approach - Don't mention the competitor by name (tacky) - Focus on what they might be missing, not what's wrong - Ask if a comparison would be valuable - Under 50 words. Surgical, not aggressive. Tone: Respectful, curious, confident without arrogance.
Wedge Analysis Builder
Create a competitive wedge analysis for this deal. Context: - Prospect: [COMPANY] - Current vendor: [COMPETITOR] - My product: [WHAT I SELL] - What I know about their setup: [ANY INTEL] Generate a Wedge Analysis: COMPETITOR STRENGTHS - What does [competitor] do well? - Why did they originally choose [competitor]? - What would they miss if they switched? COMPETITOR GAPS - Where does [competitor] fall short? - What use cases don't they serve well? - What's changed since they chose [competitor]? YOUR WEDGE (pick ONE) - The single biggest gap that matters to THIS prospect - Why this gap matters to their specific situation - Evidence/proof that you're better in this area SWITCHING COST ANALYSIS - Technical migration complexity - Organizational change management - Learning curve / adoption - Contract/financial considerations NEUTRALIZATION PLAN - How to address their strengths (don't need to beat, just neutralize) - How to make switching feel low-risk - Timing strategy (when to push harder) The best wedge is narrow but deep—one thing that matters a lot, not many things that matter a little.
Example Output
Subject: Quick question about Salesforce Sarah, Congrats on the Series B. Scaling from 10 to 30 reps usually exposes some interesting gaps in how CRM data flows to the rest of the stack. I've been talking to a few companies your size who chose Salesforce early and now find themselves building custom integrations that break every quarter. Curious: is that a thing you're dealing with, or has your team figured out a clean solution? Either way, would be useful to hear how you've approached it. — Marcus