In sales, there are times when we meet someone, we hit it off straight away. They seem very interested in what we have to say and what we have to offer. So, we get very excited and believe the deal is ours.
Yet, for various reasons, the sale does not go ahead. We often feel quite dejected and wonder where we went wrong. So why is it, that there are times when we get so despondent when we lose a sale?
Occasionally, it might come down to something we said or did and the customer was put-off. Yet, there may be many other rational reasons, which we should really stop and consider.
Very often, the customer does not know us, so we have to remember it is not personal.
We live in a world where we have choices, we buy things for different reasons and we do not always want the same thing. It is quite common for people to shop around first, look at various options and choose the one that suits them best. Surely, this is the joy of living in a free market? So, if we look at it logically, we have to agree we can’t win them all.
Competition is healthy. By having our customers shop around, we can benefit from our competitors as they spend time educating and informing our customers about the various products and services, making our job easier when it comes to selling to them.
From the customer’s perspective, having a bit of rivalry keeps us on our toes. It prevents us from becoming complacent as we continuously strive harder to provide better products and services. It keeps us thinking innovatively, which helps us to create wonderful new ideas too. So, it can be a win-win for all of us.
More importantly, we need to remember as customers, we do not always buy everything we see at that moment in time. Often we want to browse, do our research and come back to shop later.
At times, we may have an intention to buy, but something else happens such as our car breaks down, a child becomes ill or we have to attend to other priorities first. As a result, when people say “NO”, we need to remember it often means “no, not right now” rather than a flat out “NO”.
Similar to finding the right pair of shoes, there may be times when your product, company or service is the wrong fit for the client.
Every so often, we may realise the customer has a special relationship with another supplier so we may never have been in the running to win the deal. Whilst this may be disappointing, I like to think that we have customers that we will be loyal to us too. So next time you feel dejected just remember the following:
- Think rationally and remember we can’t win them all.
- Keep putting yourself in the shoes of the customer and look at things through their eyes.
- Keep in mind the multiple times and reasons you didn’t buy.
- Don’t be afraid to ask clients questions about their desires, priorities and even timelines.
- Ask for feedback when you lose a sale - in order to improve.
- Finally, never give up.