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
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
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