Sales Success (sometimes) Depends on Losing the Sale by Roy Osing

Sales Success (sometimes) Depends on Losing the Sale

Too much attention in sales is placed on making the sale.

And it is reinforced by reward and compensation programs that hail the salesperson of the year as a hero if they post the most annual sales. Salespeople behave the way the compensation plan dictates: if sales revenue is comp’d, that’s what they focus on.

This is at best a short term view. It leads to dysfunctional sales behavior of flogging products and services rather than focusing on what the customer needs and the individual problem they wish to solve.

Rather than being focused on flogging and immediate revenue generation, the emphasis should be placed on keeping the customer and trusting that if you do the right things to deepen the relationship with them, revenue will flow.

Ironically, one of the most effective ways to not only keep a customer but also to impress the hell out of them is to LOSE a sale and recover in a way that blows them away

Sales Recovery = What you do in the 24 hours after the loss to SURPRISE them.

Sure, they will be disappointed you couldn’t satisfy their immediate requirements but they will be MORE impressed by what you do to “atone for your sins”.

Here are 4 Sales Recovery SURPRISE tactics to employ when your customer chooses someone else over you.

Don’t whine and snivel over your loss! It’s an expression of your inabilities in the moment. Look at it as an opportunity in disguise.
Apologize for failing them. “I’m sorry” goes a long way to keep the customer leaning your way as you try to hold your relationship with them.
Help them go elsewhere to get their needs satisfied. Call another supplier on their behalf to get the ball rolling. Be your customer’s problem solver. Commit to finding the right solution for them as opposed to trying to force fit one of YOUR solutions to their problem.
Follow up to ensure their needs got met. Show that you care about their satisfaction and that it is more important than making a short term sale.

This process will earn you the right to earn their future business.

This is all the customer will remember; and THIS is what they will talk about to others.

About Author

Roy Osing

Roy Osing is a former president, CMO and entrepreneur with over 40 years of successful and unmatched executive leadership experience in every aspect of business. As President of a major data and internet company, his leadership and audacious ‘unheard-of ways’ took the company from its early stage to $1 Billion in annual sales. He is a resolute blogger, keen content marketer, dedicated teacher and mentor to young professionals. As an accomplished business advisor, he is the author of the no-nonsense book series ‘BE DiFFERENT or be dead.’ He is devoted to inspiring leaders, entrepreneurs and organizations to stand apart from the average boring crowd and achieve their true potential.