In Sales, “trap-setting” questions are strategically crafted questions designed to:
- Expose a competitor’s weakness without directly naming them.
- Highlight a gap in the prospect’s current approach or solution.
- Lead the buyer to realize a need that your solution uniquely fulfills.
All questions need obviously to be about something your own solution can do.
They’re called “traps” because they set up a scenario or line of reasoning that the competitor can’t win, or that makes your solution the obvious choice.
Examples:
- “How are you handling X if your current solution doesn’t support Y?”
- “What’s your plan if your vendor discontinues support for that?”
- “How important is having [your unique capability] to your team’s success?”
These questions are most effective when:
- Timed carefully (after trust is built).
- Not overly aggressive.
- Backed by insight into the competitor or client situation.
They’re a staple of elite discovery and competitive displacement.