Whose fault is it when things don't work out in sales? Is it the prospect's fault? Or is it yours? If you're answering honestly, it's always your own fault!
So what should you do when you screw up a sales call?
When something goes wrong in a sales interaction, it's all too easy to blame the prospect. I know I was guilty of this in the past before embracing the Sandler Selling System.
Boy, was it easy for me to find reasons that nothing was my fault!
You may be able to relate. But if you're really honest with yourself, you'll find that you could have done something differently. Sometimes we didn't really uncover the true pain. Other times, we don't do a good job of determining the decision making process. And sometimes it may have even been disqualifying the prospect sooner!
But there's always something.
Of course, admitting that it's our fault is just the first step. Once you've done that, you have to figure out why. What went wrong?
Not too long ago, I blew a sales call. When I went through the debriefing process, I realized that I'd rushed through the initial bonding and rapport with the prospect. I didn't spend enough time making it about them. I actually knew the person already, and had taken a few things for granted.
Without a system to compare myself to, it would have been really difficult to see where I'd screwed up. If you don't have a system, that makes it super easy to blame the prospect.
Once you do have a system, there are no more excuses. You can actually start to evaluate and improve yourself.
So when you screw up a sales call, make sure you debrief yourself. Take a close look to see what you did wrong. What about your approach could have been different?
