Losing vs. Not Winning the Sale

By Tony Cole, President & CEO, Anthony Cole Training Group

If a salesperson doesn’t win a sale, then they must have lost it, right? Wrong. There is a not- so- subtle- difference between ‘not winning’ and losing.  When a salesperson does ‘not win’ a sale, it indicates that there was something that the salesperson did not do to win the sale. He’s responsible for not winning.  Losing the sale, on the other hand, sounds like something simply happened to him.  

Think about the the many ways salespeople describe losing a sale:

• They got a better price from the current provider
• The CEO is related to the owner of the company that got the business
• We got in the deal too late
• Our products were not as competitive
• Underwriting didn't want the deal
• I couldn't get to the decision maker
• The committee decided not to make a change
• The timing was bad
• They are afraid to make a change now
• They liked us, we made a great presentation
• We demonstrated our skills so the next time we go out to bid, they'll know who we are

All the reasons that salespeople have come up with over the years as to why they didn't get the deal all come down to one thing - they didn't win the sale.  They did not do something during their sales process to uncover or address those specific problems.  They did not win the sale. 

To win more sales, salespeople need to evaluate their sales steps and understand what happened along the way. We recommend a disciplined process of post-call debrief for all significant calls.  Winning, not losing, is the focus for reviewing the details of your calls. 

Winning is hearing yes throughout the selling process:

• Yes, you can talk to the decision maker.
• Yes, I will schedule an appointment with you.
• Yes, I have a problem that I have to fix.
• Yes, I will invest the right amount of time or money to fix the problem.
• Yes, I will make a decision when you present your solution.
• Yes, I will buy from you.
• Yes, I will introduce you to others.

When you think about your goals in 2010, think about what it really means to win more and what you need to do differently to win more.  Sure, you'll lose some.  But when you do, take it personally; get mad, figure out what you should have done. Then go out and work to win again. Salespeople must have a tremendous passion for success in sales and be willing to do everything possible to avoid ‘not winning’ every sale.

(keywords:  winning the sale, salesperson, sales, sales process)

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