Question

While you are at a friend's party with your family, you notice a prospective client. You have been trying to pitch your product to his company for the past three months. He is interested in your product, but his colleagues seem to be comfortable using another vendor's product, so you have not been able to close the deal with his company yet. What will you do when you see him at the party?
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Try to convince him that my company's product would be beneficial for his company and that he should try to convince his colleagues too.

Try to have a casual discussion with him in which I do not emphasize my professional concerns.

Casually ask him if he would connect me with his management and put in a positive word for my company's product so that things can move ahead.

Try to inform him about the drawbacks and poor performance of the competing company's product.

Avoid talking to him at the party because I do not want to mix personal and professional relationships.

Answer 1

Best choice: "Try to have a casual discussion with him in which I do not emphasize my professional concerns."

Why: a party is a social setting — hard selling or criticizing a competitor there feels pushy and can make both him and his colleagues uncomfortable. You don’t want to mix family time with a sales ambush, but you also shouldn’t ignore a warm lead. A short, friendly conversation preserves the relationship, builds rapport, and opens the door to a professional follow-up.

How to handle it, step by step:
- Keep it light — ask how he’s doing, comment on the event, show genuine interest in him as a person.
- Don’t badmouth the competitor or pressure him to take your side.
- If the topic of work comes up naturally, say something like: “I’m glad you liked what you saw. I don’t want to take up your evening — would you like me to send a few notes or set up a short meeting next week so we can explore this more formally?”
- If he’s receptive, exchange contact info or agree on a time to talk; if not, thank him for the chat and let it rest.
- After the party, follow up professionally (email or LinkedIn) referencing the brief conversation and proposing a clear next step (demo, pilot, or intro to his management).

Why avoid the other options:
- Hard-selling or criticizing the competitor at a party is unprofessional and can damage relationships.
- Asking for a direct intro on the spot can put him on the spot in front of colleagues.
- Completely avoiding him wastes a networking opportunity.

This approach balances respect for the social setting, protection of your family time, and smart, relationship-focused selling.