The world of sales is filled with good intentions.
Look around and you will see that practically every street corner is filled with eager young salespeople who set out each morning ready to take the world by the tail. Unfortunately, many of these same people ended up dragging themselves home at the end of the day to sit and wonder about what went wrong.
Because the problem with good intentions, as many a salesperson has discovered, is that they do not close deals!
The reality is that the difference between a great salesperson, and one who is simply average is not that big. In fact, if you learn to avoid the three traps we have outlined here, then you will be well on your way to the success that you desire. Remember, a lack of sales is not necessarily from a lack of effort. It is from focusing your effort in the wrong direction. So, without further ado, we present the Top 3 Reasons Why Salespeople Fail.
Reason 1: Wrong Audience
The first thing to think about when giving a sales presentation is your audience. Effective targeting can be the difference between making a sale and going home empty handed. For example, how well do you think the i-Pod would have done had Apple launched it as a niche product for seniors rather than students?
This is a product line that is now iconic due to the fact that it was launched to the right audience and its popularity has sky-rocketed from there. The trick, is finding the right audience for your product. To do this, start with the 80/20 rule, meaning that 80% of your business will come from 20% of your customers.
Look through your target list, and focus your efforts on the top 20%.
Take the time to learn about them.
From there you can tailor your sales presentation to best suit the person in front of you.
Reason 2: Wrong Message
Once you have defined your target customer, then it is time to tailor your message.
Why?
Because giving the wrong message to the right person can be just as ineffective as giving no message at all. Your sales presentation should be designed to show exactly how your product would add value to the person in front of you. And, just as every person is different, so should every message be!
The only way to truly target a message to fit a specific customer is to first understand their needs. Do this by taking some time to learn about your customers. What are their buying habits? What are their desires & motivations?
To paraphrase John Lennon, what gets them “through the night?”
Remember, knowledge is power, and in this instance you can use your knowledge to tailor a message that really hits the mark with your customer. It may take a little more work up front, but delivering an effective message to the right customer will help you close deals time and time again!
Reason 3: Not Persistent Enough!
“When you come to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on”. Franklin D. Roosevelt
Roosevelt was on to something there!
One of the most common mistakes made by new salespeople is that they give up when they hear the word, “no.”
In sales, you have to realize that “no” does not always mean “no!” Yes, sometimes it does, but in many cases a skilled salesperson can use their knowledge to dig deeper and uncover the real objection.
And an objection that is brought to light is often an objection that can be overcome!
Your job is to ask targeted questions to bring the real objection to light, and then find the right way to overcome it. The key is not to give up. A career in sales will be marked with both successes and failures.
If you were to give up every time you heard the word “no”, your career would not last very long.
To be successful you have to be persistent. You have to find the drive within yourself to do your research up front and then keep working until you see the sale through to the end.
If you can do this, then everything else will soon fall into place.
If you would like to learn more about the sales process and how you can succeed, then give us a call on 0207 043 1582. We can build a programme around how to sell higher priced deals more often.
