You only need to be smarter than the next person

"More than one person can eat - maybe I can sell  some."

You don’t need to be smarter than everyone else, just the next person.

When you are selling something you are showing that you have looked at the issues facing the buyer and you have dealt with them. If you can demonstrate this to the buyer then they will be more likely to buy your product than your competitor’s.

When you are in a competitive selection process for services, you need to be the right company for the job. You don’t need to be the best person in the world. Often times you only need to show more knowledge and expertise in the specific area that the client is interested in than your competitors.

For services based companies your clients may know exactly how to do the service you provide, they just don’t have the people or the time to do it yourself. Showing that you are the best company is less important than showing you know how to do the work, you have people available and that you understand the client’s issues.

I say all this because many people oversell themselves. They try to prove that they are the best at everything they do, their people are the best, their company is the best, etc. They would be better placed placing their emphasis on why they are the right company for the job. This is a subtle but important difference.