Not every sales call is going to be a winner.
In fact, most probably won’t. And yet, there are a million tips out there that only talk about what to do before and during a sale, but no one is giving helpful strategies for what to do after a sales call – especially a “failed” sales call. That is, until today!
Can you still get a deal after hearing, “No”? How can you maintain a positive relationship with someone after losing a deal? How can each failed call still help you improve your sales skills?
I’ll be answering all of those questions and give you 3 strategies (the 3rd being the most important) to help you get better at sales, even if you’ve been in a sales slump.
So, what should you do when you DON’T get the sale?
First of all, don’t beat yourself up. It doesn’t serve you to get all negative and up in your head when you don’t land the sale. Even if the conversation felt magical and you felt like you did everything right, you still might not land the sale. It’s all part of the process, so don’t get down on yourself.
Second, reflect objectively on the call. Simply ask yourself, “what can I learn from this experience?” This is a much different frame of mind than, “Man! How did I botch that one up?!” One is seeking to improve yourself, the other is seeking to punish yourself.
You can even become grateful for your failed sales calls. I know it sounds counterintuitive, but it’s true. I’ve messed up on some sales calls. At the time it wasn’t fun, but I learned to be thankful for those missed moments because later down the line, I ran into a similar situation. Thanks to my previous mistakes, I knew what to do differently. Without those “mess ups,” I wouldn’t have improved.
By asking yourself, “What can I learn from this?” you’re consciously improving. And so, you can be thankful for that not-optimal sales call.
This next step is the game changer.
After you’ve “failed” call, reach out to your prospect and ask for another call. This call is for feedback only. You are NOT pitching again, nor trying to convince them to work with you in any way.
The request would look something like this:
Hey there,
I really enjoyed our conversation last week. I completely understand that you’re not interested in the service, and I respect that. This isn’t why I’m emailing.
I’m always trying to improve, both as a communicator and business owner. I view our last conversation as an important learning experience for me. Would you be willing to hop on a short 15-minute call and help me out? I would really appreciate your honest insights about why you didn’t move forward when we talked.
I find that these short conversations can make a big difference in how we can better serve our future clients.
This approach is powerful for many reasons…
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It shows them that the relationship with you is still open.
Maybe for them, it was a “not right now” rather than a hard “no, not ever.” So you reaching out in a respectful, connected way reminds them that there’s still a healthy possibility of working with you in the future.
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You will collect a wonderful amount of information from these conversations.
Learning what your prospect needs, wants, is looking for, and their beliefs and biases will give you the influential intel needed to better tailor your NEXT sales call. Also, you might just pick up an idea or two on how to improve your service to best fit your ideal clients’ needs.
Grab the Sales Call Roadmap!
Your Quick Reference Guide for the
Stages of Every Sales Call
with mini-scripts & free references!
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You might actually get the client.
Every conversation is an opportunity to convince. Remember, the primary intention of these feedback calls is not to try to sell them again; the objective is to get honest, helpful feedback. But hey, if you happen to land a client because of these conversations: BONUS! I’ve had follow up conversations where I learned my prospect said no because of a complete misunderstanding! They made some assumptions, or they were bringing in biases from past experiences, or they didn’t state a crucial objection on the call.
One time I talked to a prospect who initially said no to coaching. I asked, “I completely respect your decision. Just out of curiosity, why exactly did you not want to move forward?” She said that the fee was a little high and that she likes to keep at least 3 month’s worth of funds in her business account. Hiring me would put her below her desired safety net. And that was her ONLY reason for not moving forward at that time. With no expectation, I said, “I see. That makes total sense. I don’t usually do this, but If that’s the case, I’m happy to work out a payment plan that could work for both of us, and you can still maintain your 3-month reserve. Just so you know that is an option for you.”
She signed up right there on the call.
For whatever reason, on our initial call, she didn’t state her objection. But on the follow-up call, she felt comfortable enough to do so. This gave me the opportunity to come up with a win-win scenario for both of us.
These calls give you an opportunity to clear up any confusion, miscommunication, or misunderstanding. And sometimes, this creates space for you to get clients!
The follow-up call is your post-”failed” sales call goldmine because it makes you a better salesperson and business leader.
Even after a perceived “failure”, you can still be influential.
You still an opportunity to maintain a connection, build a relationship, and potentially get a client out of an UNsuccessful sales call.
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