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Sales Skills: How to Move On After Losing a Sale
Patricia Weber, M.S.
Are there sales skills that can help when you lose a sale? Most definitely. When an exotic car loses in a car show to one not as well appointed, how is this like losing a sale? You think you have the award winning automobile and the recognition goes to another. Same thing works with sales. You think you have the best answer to someone's problem, but they decide to buy elsewhere. Here are some lessons I learned from car show losses that can be helpful in selling situations.
Get back up. Take time to rebuild your attitude. Remind yourself of
past successes. Think about your current satisfied and renewing clients. Decide
what you have to learn from the loss and get back up.
Debrief your process. After the car show, we realized we never raised the
hood to display the engine! Find out why you weren't selected if possible. You
can say, "I'd really appreciate your help by letting me know where and how I can
improve my sales technique." This information will assist you in building better
future relationships. It may point out a piece of your process that you either
skimmed over or have taken for granted.
Learn about your competition. Yes, do consider this before you start
talking to your prospect. Yes, it can benefit you in the future if it is a
lesson after the loss. You are likely to cross paths with the competition in the
future whether it is another company, a relative, or even a 'no' decision from a
prospective client.
Ask for a referral. After the car show, I wondered "How did we end up the
only two people in the crowd, sitting in the only Enzo at the Ferrari show, and
our car ended up loosing?" We got back up, walked over to non-competitors and
started over again --- building rapport, asking questions and finding another
prospect.
Contact customer evangelists. If you are in an attitude slump, contacting
your best customers can give you just the boost you need to get on track again.
Talk with others in sales. If you have a trusted friend talk through your
loss with them. Sometimes motivational tapes or books can motivate you into
action again. A coach can add to any of these actions by both helping you talk
things through and set yourself an action plan.
Focus on the future. One way to do this is to stay in touch with the
customer you just lost. Unless your product or service has a 30 year life
expectancy, or if your customer asks that you move on, keep the lost customer on
your follow-up system for future contact purposes.
Last but not least, challenge yourself. Look at any sale you have lost,
determine what you might have done differently, and then get over the pain of
it. Decide what it is you can change and do just that to get back on track to
winning sales.
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