ALWAYS FOLLOW THROUGH ON LOST SALES

 Hubert Humphrey ran against Richard Nixon for President of the United States in 1968.    When it became clear  that Humphrey had lost, one of his campaign staff   asked him about his “concession speech.”  Humphrey told him, “This is not a concession speech.  This is the beginning of my next campaign!”

No One Makes Every Sales

Even the best salespeople do not make every sale.   No matter how good your products and services might be, or how compelling your sales pitch and technique is,  you will not make every sale !  But if you choose to walk away from a lost sale with anger and resentment, vowing to never waste your time with that prospect again, you are making an enormous mistake and totally overlooking a golden opportunity!  When you lose a sale take a page out of Hubert Humphrey’s book and view it not as a loss, but the beginning of your next sales campaign.  Sales follow through is the foundation of good sales technique.

Lost Sales Follow Up

Following a lost sale put resentment aside   and make contact with the person you were dealing with.  During the entire sales process one of the things you have been  attempting   to make obvious  is that they are not just another  sales call , rather you are first and foremost  concerned with   helping them realize their dreams  .   This is your chance to drive that point home !  Thank them for the  chance  they gave  you to present your products or services .   Make certain they   know you are still interested in them and what they are  trying to do   and would be  pleased   to serve them in any way  that might be helpful  .    Occasionally,   where the individual  is especially  open   to your contact, you might even ask for feedback on ways to improve your sales  technique , or what would have made the sale for you in the first place.  At this point never argue or object  -  just listen, accept and  be sure to say thanks.  But do not  introduce  that subject unless the opportunity is  obvious .  You want to make certain the contact ends on a high  note and the chance   is  still available  to build on the  goodwill  you have already begun to establish.  The sales process is always a continuing and ongoing process.

Then add them to your “ continuing prospect file ,” and put them on your calendar for a future contact .   Make friendly calls   on a regular basis to  see  how they are doing and to let them know you are still interested in being of service  even in the smallest way.  There are needs they will have in the future  and you want to position yourself to be available whenever that time comes.

Never Abandon a Sales Prospect or a Lost Sale

Never  drop  a sales prospect because you did not get their order at this moment  .  Sales is an neverending  process requiring perseverance  and graciousness that never ends.  In this light a lost sale  is nothing more than the beginning of the next sales campaign!

Lisa had decided that it was time for her to leave. She was tired of her boss telling her what to do even though it was not in her job details, but she did not have much of a choice. However, after the last report that really wowed the president and her not getting any credit she decided it was time to leave. She knew that it was going to be risky in the economy today, but she could not stand seeing his smug smile anymore.

When she got up the courage she walked over to the office and just pushed the door open. She did not care about the formals of knocking three times that he wanted. She just wanted to get this over with and quick. When she stormed in she was shocked to see the president of the company sitting there. She knew that he would probably be interested to here what she had to say. That was even more obvious when he asked why she was going to be leaving the company.

The person doing the evaluation turned around and asked why she was leaving such a good boss. Lisa looked at him and told her that she had found some money making tips. Those tips were really paying off for her, but then she decided to tell him why else she was leaving. As she unloaded how terrible the boss really was he looked over at her boss and seen that his face was turning a little white.

The president looked at her former boss and asked if this was true or not. He started to stare holes through Lisa because his anger was so high, but that would do nothing to get him out of the question. He looked at the boss and said that he did know how to turn on the computer. The president looked back and sighed and said well in light of this revelation John we are going to let you go and Lisa we would like to promote you to sponsor our new home business ebooks that were written.

Lisa looked at him and said that she would have to think about it for a little bit. However, she already knew that if they would let her work at home she would be all over the job. She glanced at her former boss and said that she would take the job under that condition.

He looked at her and said that the request seemed reasonable since the product would involve teaching people to work at home. So he decide that it would only make sense for someone that heads up the group to work at home to. He even told her that it would be up to her to grow the division, but to help her start out they would give her some plr articles that they had about the topic. Then she could use them in any manner that she wanted to as long as it converted to sales.

Lisa was happy knowing that she had made a wise choice. She would still be getting the company insurance which would be helpful with her children, but she would still have a steady income source. Then the best option was she was going to work from home and not have to worry about going to the office anymore.