Changing a
“Failure” To a “Win”
This is a topic that we have all been down before,
whether we like to admit it or not.
However, recognizing if/when we are struggling is the key
to shortening that period of time to turn business back around and not only
make up for the challenges, but to grow to be better at our craft moving
forward.
So let’s take a look at some of reactions that we as
sales people have to the challenges that we run into…
1.
Curse it
2.
Deny it (a nice way of saying lie about it) to
yourself or justifying it
a. “I
really did sell that job, and it will definitely get installed even though I
wrote it without a deposit”
b. “I’m
not writing that job right now, but I know that they will call me back.”
c. “All
they need to do is talk to their spouse, there’s nothing I could have done to
write that order.”
3.
Avoid it
a. Telling
yourself that you are still doing well.
b. Not
recognizing/ignoring the fact that you are in a slump
4.
Make an excuse about it
a. “The
sale didn’t fit within the customer’s budget.”
b. “We
didn’t have a product that the customer liked.”
c. We
didn’t have the financing they needed to make a purchase.”
5.
Blame others (this is the easiest)
a. “The
leads that I’m getting aren’t as good as someone else.”
b. “The
sale that is running is too hard to explain.”
c. “My
appointments are in economically challenged areas.”
All these things are what we say to ourselves (and
sometimes those around us) when we are not as successful as we would hope to
be.
Even though we have gotten to this point, it doesn’t mean
that we have failed.
The actual “fail” itself is when you actually make the
decision to quit, and not continue to try and improve.
So what can we do to become as successful as possible
when we are in a situation where we don’t succeed at first?
1.
Look at
the failure/miss as an event, not as a person or yourself individually.
a. You,
yourself are not a failure.
b. You
just might not have succeeded at a particular event.
c. Just
because it didn’t work that one, two, or three times, doesn’t mean you are a
failure.
2.
Look for the why, and find the solution.
***Here you have to always be
asking yourself, “Why?”
***This is the discovery phase
that you are doing internally with yourself.
a. Dig
into why you weren’t successful.
b. How
was your presentation?
c. Did
you dress professionally
d. Did
you arrive on time?
e. Did
you park in the street?
f.
Did you introduce yourself like a professional?
g. Did
you take the opportunity to build rapport?
h. Did
you do a full wants/need analysis and discovery
i.
Did I explain the promotion properly, completely,
and confidently?
j.
Did you present products that accomplished for
your customer what they were trying to do with their project?
k. Did
you present an appropriate price and negotiate properly?
l.
Simply put, did you do a complete presentation,
to the best of your abilities, with that particular customer?
3.
List possible opportunities
***This is the learning phase,
where you grow and develop yourself.
a. Is
there a particular objection that I am getting continually that I am unable to
overcome?
i.
Shopping
ii.
Price
iii.
Spouse
iv.
Wait/Think about it
b. Am
I having difficulty pricing out multiple products for the customer to look at?
c. Am
I having difficulty explaining the promotion
d. Am
I having difficulty setting up the drop call or negotiating with the customer
credibly?
e. Am
I fumbling my cross sale or referral pitch?
f.
Now that you’ve isolated things that you are
struggling with, what are you going to do about it?
g. Have
you called your manager/team leader and asked for help?
h. Have
you sat down to put together an action plan?
i.
The key to this is to have a goal and get
someone’s assistance to help you achieve it.
i.
Maybe it is to improve your closing
percentage/MPL
ii.
Maybe it is to qualify for the revenue bonus.
iii.
Maybe it is to do a set number of cross sales
for the month
iv.
Maybe it is to get 4 self-gens/referrals so you
can get the big bonus money
4.
Ask yourself, “What have I learned?” And then
try again.
***This is the action phase
where you implement what you have just learned.
a. Are
you working through the customers objections/questions with them and then
circling back to the close
b. Are
you now asking trial closes
c. Are
you presenting multiple samples within a similar product line
d. Are
you asking for a cross sale on every appointment
e. Are
you asking for referrals on your leads and following up with the customer after
the installation.
5.
Don’t hang around with other people that are
struggling and complain – go associate yourself with other successful
individuals.
a. Here
are all the cliché terms that everyone has heard from a million other people
i.
Success breeds success
ii.
The law of attraction
iii.
Birds of a feather flock together
iv.
Likes attract likes
v.
You’re only as good as the company that you
keep.
b. The
bottom line is that if you want to be successful, you have to see yourself as
successful, and the best way that you can do that is by being around other
successful people.
c. Don’t
ignore your buddy who is coming to you for help because he/she is having a
tough day.
i.
But realize that you cannot live there
ii.
Your own success is depending on you!
To wrap it up in one common theme, all of these things
boil down to attitude.
It’s not about what happens to you. It’s about how you respond to it.
How are you going to respond to the things that happen to
you?
-
Are you going to avoid them?
-
Are you going to deny them?
-
Lie to yourself about them?
-
Make excuses about them?
-
Blame others for what happened?
Here’s the 5 points again on how to turn it around:
1.
Recognize that missing is an event, when you
miss you are not a failure.
2.
Look for the reason why you missed, and find a
solution.
3.
List the opportunities that you have to be
successful
4.
Reflect to yourself what you have learned, and
continue to try.
5.
And associate with the right group of people
that have your best interests in mind
Are you going to be the person that takes the loss and hangs
onto it, or the one that takes ownership of it and find out how to overcome it
and make sure that the next time the situation presents itself that you are
ready for it and better than what you were the last time.
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