What can I do to keep competition out?

Stop pushing "boxes" and push ROI.

It is not possible to explain this in any detail so I'll give you the post-card version and a reference you can read to learn more.

Instead of selling the service or product, sell the ROI that it produces. Make your offer in terms of the value that will be produced instead of the product that will produce it.

Instead of me selling "sales training" -- what if I offered you the opportunity to get a program that would produce immediate and continued result from your sales team with an expectation of a 10-20 percent increase in sales on the low end.

I would of course present that in terms of real dollars based on your sales numbers. -- are you going to buy SPIN, or $256K in added profitability?

This is a system call Consultative Selling" contained in the book of the same name by Mack Hanan. It's a trough but great read.

If you sell profit and ROI your competition will be selling something that doesn't compete -- a box/service.

I hope this helps.

Erik, first up, I'd do an objective re-evaluation of those relationships, particularly in the accounts that you've lost sales recently. There can be a vast difference between great and valuable.

Another question would be: Why am I loosing business and what is my competitive differentiation? They may simply have a better solution whichever way you measure it which means you need to improve your solutions to be competitive.

As Flyn's comments suggest, ROI is a key, both for your client but also for THEIR clients.

If you can leverage your great relationships into valuable ones, ie, ones that provide mutual benefits through business successes, those clients will be the ones who prevent you loosing business to competitors.

This is achieved through demonstrating both ROI to them and their clients and helping them understand the latent value you can bring once you can provide solutions to their business problems.

Preferred supplier agreements and term contracts are also key levers but only once your clients have acknowledged your value proposition can you reliably float these as a concept with your clients.

Another great read is "Raving Fan's", by Ken Blanchard. It's very easy to read and applies equally to sales and it does customer service which is the focus of the book.

Good luck, I hope this helps.

I agree with all previuos comments, you need to concentrate on selling the benefits and ROI of your product. Have you assessed the current compatability of your product to your customers needs ? If your competitors have found an edge it may not be price based.
Another area to look at with many firms restructuring and your contacts promotions etc, it may be that you need to check their current influence over any purchasing decisions effecting the end provider, of your product range.
Best of luck