How to Handle:
“[Competitor] has more features”
Feature comparisons are common in technology sales. While more features sounds better, it often means more complexity, longer implementation, and lower adoption. The key is shifting from feature counting to outcome delivery.
Why Prospects Say This
The prospect has likely seen a competitor demo or comparison chart that shows more checkboxes for the competitor. They may be conflating features with value, or they may have been coached by a competitor on what to ask for. Sometimes they genuinely need a specific capability you don't have.
Best Responses
The Feature vs. Value Reframe
“You're right, they have more features. But here's what I've learned: more features often means more complexity, longer onboarding, and lower adoption. What matters isn't the feature count - it's whether you achieve your goals. Which specific capabilities are most important to your success?”
Why It Works
Reframes the conversation from feature quantity to outcome quality. Introduces the downside of feature bloat.
Best For
When the prospect is focused on checking boxes rather than solving problems
The 80/20 Approach
“I'm curious - how many of those features would your team actually use daily? Most companies use 20% of features 80% of the time. We've focused on making that core 20% exceptional rather than building features that sit unused.”
Why It Works
Challenges the assumption that more features equals more value. Most features go unused.
Best For
Practical buyers who care about actual usage vs. theoretical capability
The Depth vs. Breadth
“That's true - they're wider, we're deeper. Their approach is to cover everything at a surface level. Our approach is to excel at the things that actually move the needle for your business. Which approach aligns better with your goals?”
Why It Works
Positions feature difference as a strategic choice rather than a limitation. Depth often beats breadth.
Best For
Sophisticated buyers who understand the trade-off between specialization and generalization
The Missing Feature Exploration
“Which specific features are you referring to? Let's dig into those. Sometimes what looks like a missing feature is actually handled differently in our platform. And sometimes we can help you achieve the same outcome through our ecosystem.”
Why It Works
Gets specific about what's actually needed. Many 'missing features' are either not needed or available in different ways.
Best For
When the objection is vague or based on competitor marketing
Do's and Don'ts
Do This
- Ask which specific features matter most to their use case
- Reframe the conversation around outcomes, not feature counts
- Highlight the cost of complexity that comes with feature bloat
- Share customer stories about teams that chose fewer, better features
- Be honest if there's a genuine feature gap that matters for their needs
Don't Do This
- Get into a feature-by-feature comparison war
- Promise roadmap items as if they're current features
- Dismiss their feature requirements as unimportant
- Let competitor marketing define the evaluation criteria
- Pretend you have features you don't have
Follow-up Questions to Ask
“Which of those features would your team use on a daily or weekly basis?”
“How did you determine which features are must-haves versus nice-to-haves?”
“What problem are you trying to solve with [specific feature]?”
“Have you used all those features in your evaluation, or are you going by their marketing?”
“What's more important to your team: breadth of features or depth in the features you'll actually use?”
Industry-Specific Variations
“Your competitor's marketing automation has twice the features”
“More features sounds great until your team spends six months in implementation and adoption is at 30%. Our customers are fully operational in weeks, not months, and actually use what they're paying for.”
“Their platform has a more extensive API”
“API breadth is one measure. API quality, documentation, and support are others. Our customers ship integrations in half the time because of our developer experience. Would you like to talk to our solutions team about your integration needs?”
“They have more modules for different departments”
“More modules can mean more complexity and higher total cost. What departments are you prioritizing? Let's make sure you have exactly what you need rather than paying for capabilities that'll sit unused.”
Pro Tips
- Create a 'why we don't have that feature' document explaining strategic choices
- Know your competitor's unused feature statistics if available
- Position depth and quality as intentional strategic choices
- Be honest about genuine gaps while redirecting to your strengths
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