GREAT SALES PROFESSIONALS have the ability to adapt based on the audience. They are able to embrace rejection as an express pass to their next “yes,” and they generally have a high degree of emotional intelligence. However, even veteran sales professionals can fall into the trappings of making excuses as a way to cope with the hurdles they encounter during the sales process. There are five common sales excuses that may sometimes seem most tempting, but learning how to overcome them can ensure you continue to sell at the top of your game. Our prices are too high: There will always be a cheaper competitor, and it’s true that prospects care about price. However, price is rarely the final factor. Take price off the table. Sell value instead, helping your prospect focus on what you can uniquely deliver. The economy is bad: It’s true that it may never look like 2007 again, but companies are still making purchasing decisions. Identify those companies, and then target them. What unique pain can your products or services alleviate for them? How can you tell when a company needs your products or services? Finding those trigger points can create tremendous sales efficiency, ensuring that you’re spending the bulk of your time focused on qualified buyers who aren’t letting the economy interfere with making good business decisions.
No one returns my voicemails: High-level decision makers are inundated with sales and marketing messages. If your voicemail lacks a compelling reason to return the call, it’s not worth the time you invested in leaving it. Before you leave a message, conduct research to find a connection or compelling reason your prospect should return your call; but in the end, it’s worth remembering that the phone is just one of many sales tools available. My sales goals aren’t realistic: On the surface, it may seem like it’s impossible to step up your game every year, but strong sales professionals constantly evaluate themselves so that they can improve. Self-evaluation can lead to greater efficiency and stronger sales performance. It’s all whom you know: Relationships make such a difference in the sales profession, so why not go network, allowing your relationship-building skills to expand your reach? If you network enough in your market, there will come a time when you’re almost always able to secure a warm introduction to an ideal prospect. Even the best sales professionals can lose sales, but these losses don’t define your potential. It’s how you react to the loss that shows your true character. By recognizing what went wrong and how you can improve your game next time, you’ll separate yourself from the pack.
