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Are your salespeople sabotaging your business?
If a salesperson does not have the right sales skills, they can potentially talk a customer out of a sale.
Here are seven signs that could stand in the way of a sale:
1. You get objections.
Objections mean that during the conversation you did not give them an opportunity to bring up what are important points for HIM, or that you did not listen when they tried to get more details about certain aspects. Simply stop talking and start listening.
2. You follow your own agenda, rather than theirs.
Follow them. If answers to your questions point in a different direction, follow them.
3. You will be asked for your CV or a testimonial.
This means selling yourself, rather than solving their problems.
4. You have a success score ('closing rate') of less than 50%.
If customers agree to see you after filling in a questionnaire or after half an hour on the phone and more, it is clear they are interested - but you lose them as soon as you actually meet them.
5. You lose customers
You lose customers within the first three to six months of getting them. There can be many reasons for this, but ultimately it is because they are not getting the results they expected.
6. You think your impeding thoughts are real.
"I need to know more! I don't have enough experience. I need to be more! " you say to yourself. You don't win a marathon - or a client - by being more. You win by training more, running more and working harder.
7. You stop following up too soon
After two or three times you give up. Most customers only buy after at least five contacts and as long as they don't clearly say 'no', you can feel free to keep approaching them. The persistent often wins.
A good salesperson makes a difference
Especially in this day and age, it is crucial to build an excellent sales force. Customers know what they want and, thanks in part to the internet, are well-informed and will not settle for less.
Precisely because almost everything can be bought everywhere, a good salesperson can make all the difference. With tact, the right questions and good listening, a potential customer can be guided to the right solution for their needs.
Being skilled at dealing with objections without being the 'pushy' salesperson is a skill that can be learnt where lots of practice and honing is crucial.
How we help
Kurt Vervloet helps you optimise your sales process and trains you and your team in the right mindset and skills to sell professionally and successfully.
Kurt Vervloet
Kurt Vervloet is business coach, executive coach en CEO-mentor. Hij was 22 jaar leidinggevende, onder meer als algemeen directeur van een organisatie met 135 medewerkers. Sinds 2017 begeleidde hij meer dan 184 bedrijven, van ondernemers tot directieteams, en werd hij drie keer verkozen tot Coach van het Jaar in België en Nederland. Hij is auteur van The CEO Supernova and Het 03:07 Moment en ontwikkelde de CEO SUPERNOVA™-methode: een bedrijf bouwen dat draait zonder de eigenaar. Meer over Kurt
