THE GREATEST MISTAKE
OF SALES PEOPLE -
NOT LEARNING FROM YOUR MISTAKES!
Time
pressure and the need to get results quickly often mean we don’t take the time
to examine our mistakes and learn lessons from them. But that’s where you lose
most sales in the long term, and it’s also where your greatest potential for
sales growth lies… Here are two live examples:
1.
For
example, ask your prospects who they chose to work with and why they didn’t
take up your offers. That’ll teach you the art of better targeting. It’ll
refine your sales pitch and correct a number of counter-productive attitudes
that are working against you!
2.
Ask
your customers why they’re going elsewhere / not renewing their orders. In
doing so, you’ll learn your weak points and what you have to improve to
increase customer loyalty and boost your orders!
You
can even brainstorm and encourage your teams to analyse themselves constantly
by answering the following questions:
·
What
sales techniques, methods and strategies are currently winning us sales? Why?
·
What
sales techniques, methods and strategies are not winning us sales? Why not?
By
answering these questions, you’ll be able to capitalise on what works and leave
behind what doesn’t, or attempt corrective action on it. That’s the key to
improving performance in your sales process!
1.
Avoiding face-to-face meetings
You're
asking customers to invest a lot in your product or service. So, it stands to
reason that you should go out of your way to meet them in person. Far too many
salespeople actively avoid face-to-face meetings, instead opting to go through
the sales process via phone calls and emails.
If
you truly want to close more sales, you need to buy a plane ticket, get in your
car, or hop on a train to meet with your prospects face-to-face.
2.
Backing down on premium pricing
When you're dealing
with tough customers, it can be tempting to back down on your prices. But
when you lower your pricing, you undercut your value in the eyes of successful
prospects. You're actually more likely to close big sales if you stand behind
your premium pricing.
3.
Only offering one-option proposals
If you've made it to the
proposal stage of a B2B sales situation, that's a great sign. However,
make sure you don't ruin the sale with a poorly conceived, one-option proposal.
It's important to give your prospects at least three different options in every
proposal.
Present
an inexpensive option, a slightly pricier option, and a premium option. This
approach gives your prospects context for each option and encourages most
people to choose the higher-end solution--while discouraging them from shopping
around for more options.
4.
Not asking enough questions
This
is one of the biggest mistakes salespeople make in B2B sales. If you don't take
the time to ask about the company's challenges, goals, and frustrations, then
you'll never be able to craft a compelling solution.Focus on asking deep-dive
questions that get to the heart of what your prospect is dealing with--and how
you can help. Don't stop asking until you truly understand what's going on in
your prospect's business."What's the biggest challenge your business is
facing right now?" and "What does this challenge cost your business
in actual dollars?" The answers will give you tons of information about
how to best solve your prospects' challenges, and what they're willing to
invest in your solution.
CONCLUDING
Do you want to sell more, faster, and make your sales more
profitable? If so, you need to know about three major mistakes most
salespeople and companies make!Identify the leaks in your sales pipeline,
and you can at last get the sales growth and results you deserve.
You know the future business potential in your line of work. It’s
up to you to assess how much these three mistakes are costing you in lost sales,
and how much time you’ll put into correcting them…
Best of
luck
Dr Wilfred Monteiro
No comments:
Post a Comment