You can’t win them all (if sales were that easy, everyone would be in the business). What you can do is learn from those lost sales. A good sales person loses a sale and moves on to the next prospect; a great sales person loses a sale and asks “why?”
Which sales person are you? The one who ignores defeat, or the one that learns from that defeat and constantly strives to be better? Remember, those who ignore the past are doomed to repeat it. So don’t risk losing future deals because you failed to address past failures.
Ask Yourself the Following Questions:
- Was I able to effectively communicate with the customer?
- Did I learn the prospect’s key needs and desired benefits?
- If so, how did I address those needs?
- How did the customer respond to me?
- What sales techniques did I try?
- How did the customer respond to those techniques?
Set Up a Post-Sale Debriefing with the Prospect
- Ask the following question: “I’m always looking to improve, what could I have done better to earn your business?”
- Don’t settle for vague answers. Ask “How do you mean?” or “Say more” to help probe for more detailed answers.
- Don’t get defensive or angry. Take full responsibility for everything.
- Don’t try to resell the prospect.
By learning from failed sales deals, you will grow as a sales person and become a much more efficient seller.
If you have any questions, contact Springboard Business Development by calling 410-832-7560 or click here today!
Located in Baltimore, Maryland, Springboard offers outsourced sales solutions for businesses in the professional services arena. It’s simple, while you focus on delivery, we bring our sales expertise and connections to focus on your business development challenges.
Our approach to business development makes it easy to find new clients without the concerns of sales team turn-over, lack of sales expertise and payroll.
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