How to Displace Competitors and Win High-Value Enterprise Clients

Discover a proven insight-based sales approach to win over high-value enterprise clients—even those currently working with your competitors.

Understanding the Competitive Landscape of High-Value Clients

You might not feel like displacing your competitors, but don’t think for a second that they won’t try to take your clients away from you. If you’re sitting around waiting for the easy opportunities—the companies without a provider—instead of displacing your competitors, you’re already losing the game. The reality is that the biggest and best clients are already spoken for. They’re working with someone else, and if you’re not willing to go after them, you’re leaving the best opportunities to your competition.

Insight-Based B2B Sales Approach to Capture High-Value Enterprise Clients

To displace your competitors and win high-value enterprise clients, you need to focus on insights instead of pitches. Here’s how to do that:

Overcome Client Complacency with Insight

To some, it might seem pointless to call on companies that are already being served. After all, who wants to hear for the fifteenth time that a prospect is happy with their provider? But let’s be honest: complacency kills. If you don’t make the call, someone else will. The truth is, no client is 100 percent happy 100 percent of the time. As a subject matter expert, your job is to show them why they should aspire to something better—something only you can provide.

Capture Your Dream Client’s Attention Using Unique Perspectives

Displacing a competitor starts with capturing your dream client’s attention. It’s not enough to show up with the same tired pitch they’ve heard a hundred times before. You need to bring something fresh to the table. This is where insight-based selling comes into play. Prepare an executive briefing, share a perspective that challenges their assumptions, or introduce an idea that helps them see their business differently. Your goal is to make them think, “Why hasn’t my current provider told me this?”

Creating Value in Every Interaction to Build Mind Share

Every interaction with your competitor’s client is an opportunity to create value and claim a little more mind share. The more they see you as the person who understands their world and brings them something useful, the more likely they are to question whether they’re with the right partner.

Sustaining Long-Term Engagement to Displace Incumbents

Of course, this isn’t a one-and-done kind of deal. You’re not going to win over a client by making one or two calls. Displacing a competitor requires a long-term strategy. You need to stay in front of your dream client consistently—not by pestering them, but by showing up with something valuable every time. Share insights about their industry, educate them on risks they haven’t considered, or highlight opportunities they’re missing. Over time, you’ll position yourself as the expert they turn to when they need help.

Leveraging Competitor Missteps to Open Doors

Eventually, your persistence will pay off. You’ll find yourself sitting across from your dream client, having earned the right to discuss how you can help them. Sometimes, you’ll get lucky, and your competitor will open the door for you. Maybe they’ll drop the ball, fail to address a major issue, or simply take the relationship for granted. When that happens, you’ll be ready to step in and show your dream client why you’re the better choice.

Here’s a hard truth: Right now, one of your dream clients is unhappy with their provider. Maybe they’re not getting the results they need. Maybe they’ve outgrown their current supplier. Or maybe their provider has become complacent, assuming loyalty without earning it. These are the moments that create openings for you to step in. But you have to be ready. You have to be there, consistently proving your value, long before they’re ready to make a change.

Becoming the Safer, Better Option That Outclasses Competitors

To win your competitor’s clients, you have to be a safer, better option. That doesn’t mean simply matching what they offer. It means outclassing them in every way that matters. Show your dream client that you understand their challenges better than their current provider does. Prove that you can deliver the results they need or provide a level of care and partnership they’ve never experienced.

For example, if your competitor is ignoring their complaints, you need to show up with solutions—not just for the immediate issue but for the underlying problem. If they’re falling behind on industry trends, you need to be the person who helps your client stay ahead of the curve. This is where your expertise sets you apart. When you’re a true subject matter expert, you don’t just solve problems—you prevent them from happening in the first place.

Building Trust and Evolving into a Strategic Partner

Relationships also matter more than most people realize. Clients don’t just want a supplier; they want a partner: someone they trust, someone they can count on, someone who’s as invested in their success as they are. If you can build that kind of relationship, you’ll be more than just a replacement for their current provider—you’ll be indispensable.

Displacing a competitor isn’t easy, and it’s not supposed to be. The clients worth having are the ones you have to fight for. But when you approach this with the mindset of a subject matter expert—someone who brings insight, solves problems, and builds trust—you’ll find that you’re not just taking clients from your competitors. You’re earning them in a way that ensures they stay with you for the long haul.