Just about everyone in business is selling these days. The ability to sell and persuade customers is a skill that takes some time to develop and is among one of the highest paid activities any business owner can do.
Nevertheless, just about everyone that has sold something can relate to the sinking gut feeling you get when you have blown a presentation. I am talking about the situations where you know there is no chance that you are going to get the business. These are the times when the drive back from the presentation feels like an eternity and it is affecting your mood as well as your productivity. The more you think about it the more upset you become
So what can you do when these situations occur and how can you get your game back?
The important thing is how you handle the mishap not that a mishap occurred. Too many times we all try to focus on being perfect and never having a bad day. The important thing to remember is that not everyone will buy from us.
Many times it is not our presentation that has led to our loss. There are many reasons why customers do not buy or why a good presentation can go wrong. Many times it has more to do with external factors beyond your control. However, despite the reasons here are three things that can help:
What Happened?
Take a moment as soon as you can to review what just happened. One of the best ways to do this is with a mentor or coach. When you use a mentor or coach they can view the situation from a non bias viewpoint and help you understand why the presentation flopped.
At times you might be surprise to hear that there was nothing you could do and that the problem may actually been your customer. In doing this postmortem of the last sales call you want to observe what you did right in order to reinforce those behaviors. This process is based around learning our strengths and constantly improving our approach. It is not about beating up ourselves about what we could or should have done. This is important to remember because beating up ourselves can develop negative self talk that will end up affecting our self esteem and confidence. Sure you want to review any major mistakes in order to avoid them in the future. You just don’t want to dwel on the negative and make things worse
Go For A Run
There are times that just taking a break from the selling activity may be the best medicine.
Working out helps get rid of the stress and toxins that might have build up in your body. The increase in blood supply to the brain will help change your mood and even make you more creative. Brain researchers like Dr. Daniel Amen (of PBS fame Change your Brain Change your Life) have stated that exercises is better than most antidepressants in helping people get back in a stable mood. So get out and do some type of exercise it will do you a lot of good.
Get Back on The Horse
Once you can shake off the bad vibes from the bad call or presentation, go call on another customer. The sooner you get back to selling your services the sooner you will have a success and that bad call will only be a memory. If another sale is not immediately available then call on a satisfied customer and build that relationship. By visiting on a customer who is happy with your products and services it will boast your self esteem and remind you that you are good at what you do.
It is fair to say that despite our best efforts there will be those days that we will strike out.
At times it will be our fault and at other times it had nothing to do with us. However, we can only strike out if we are getting up at bat and if we are giving our all. By moving forward and focusing on what we are doing right we can constantly improve and overcome the bad days. Also, remember that veteran sales people always have those losses as part of their war stories that they will share with the newbies. You will also have stories to share and teach others about.
Members of Bay Area Mastermind are able to enjoy the benefits of our mentoring and coaching services to sort out sales calls and strategize business opportunities. If you would like to find out more about these services check out the “Test Drive” tab or call our offices.