AE: three plays
Read this first
A competitor is working one of your accounts. This play exists to raise your win rate on contested deals, not to add pipeline.
Three situations, three plays. The hardest part isn't the play, it's not tipping your hand while you run it.
The one rule
Never reveal or hint that the account was flagged. You have more to lose here than a BDR does. You're in a live deal with a champion who trusts you, and "we noticed you talking to [competitor]" turns that relationship into a surveillance problem in one sentence.
Use it to pick your talk track and your timing. Never say it out loud.
Play 1: competitor activity on a deal you’re working
The highest-stakes one. The deal is live, someone else is in it, and you probably don’t know yet.
First, look at who got flagged
If it’s someone you’re already talking to, probe on your next call. Don’t make a special call for it, and don’t open with it. Slip it in where it fits.
The subtle probe
"Out of curiosity, are you all looking at any other ways to solve [the problem] as part of this process?"
Ask it like a scheduling question, not an accusation. Then stop talking and let them answer.
Whatever they say, switch to your competitive talk track against the flagged competitor. You don’t need them to confirm anything. You already know.
If they name the competitor themselves
Best case. Now it’s an open competitive deal and you can sell against them directly.
Say this
"Makes sense, most teams look at them. What's standing out to you about their approach? The place we usually come out ahead is [where you win]. Worth walking through how that plays out for [their use case]?"
Ask what they like about the competitor before you attack. It tells you exactly which objection you're actually fighting.
If the flagged contact isn’t someone you’re talking to
Someone else with a say in the decision is in play and you don’t have them. Get to them through your champion, not around them.
Ask your champion
"Would it make sense to loop [Name] into this? Happy to bring them up to speed so you're not repeating yourself."
If your champion says yes, send a short note with no ask in it.
The no-ask intro
"Hi [Name], I've been working with [champion] on [the problem]. Over the last few weeks we've [what you've figured out together]. Just wanted to keep you in the loop in case it's relevant to you. Happy to answer anything, or happy to stay out of your inbox."
No meeting request, no deck, no link. The goal is that they know who you are before the competitor's name comes up in a room you're not in.
| Don't | Do |
|---|---|
| Confront them about the competitor | Probe once, casually, then move on |
| Go around your champion to a new contact | Ask them to make the intro |
| Trash the competitor by name | Sell where you win |
| Wait for your next scheduled call | Move inside 48 hours |
Play 2: a closed-lost account got flagged
They’re back in market. You already know why they didn’t pick you last time, which nobody else calling them does.
Move within 48 hours. Reference the problem from last time, ask what changed, and don’t mention that you know they’re shopping.
The revive email
Subject: [their problem] at [Company] Hey [Name], when we spoke a few months back you were trying to solve [the problem]. How's that going? I just helped [customer] with the same thing and thought of you. Worth a quick catch-up to see what's changed on your end?
Short. No "just circling back", no recap of your product, no deck attached.
If they went with a competitor last time and it hasn’t gone well, you’ll hear it fast. If they’re mid-evaluation again, offer to be the second bid.
If they're evaluating again
"Totally understand if we weren't the fit last time. Things have changed on our side around [what's different now]. Worth 20 minutes before you decide? Worst case you get a second bid out of it."
Play 3: an account you own, untouched
It’s your logo but you haven’t worked it, or it went cold.
The BDR runs the net-new play on it. That’s the call in routing: if it’s flagged and nobody has actually worked it, it goes to the BDR regardless of whose name is on the account.
Your job is to make sure it gets actioned well:
- Give them the history. Why it went cold, who the real buyer was, what got in the way.
- Tell them what not to step on if there’s a reason the account went quiet.
- Take the meeting when they book it. That’s the whole point.
If you’d genuinely rather work it yourself, say so up front rather than letting it sit in two places. The failure mode is both of you assuming the other one has it.
Related: How reps work a signal · Who works what