Overcoming Excuses: Moving Forward in Your Sales Career
In the classic movie “Glengarry Glen Ross,” there’s a scene that resonates with sales professionals worldwide.
Jack Lemmon’s character, after a gruelling day of making sales calls, exclaims with frustration, “The leads are weak!”
This iconic line captures the struggles and excuses that salespeople often make when faced with challenging situations.
In this week’s blog, we’ll explore common excuses in sales and provide insights on shedding these beliefs to propel your sales career forward.
Identifying Common Excuses:
In the world of sales, excuses are abundant. Let’s take a closer look at some of the most prevalent excuses salespeople make and why they can hinder success:
- “He or she won’t buy our product. They’ve tried us before, and they’re just not interested.”This excuse stems a client’s belief that you may not have explained the benefits of the product or service clearly enough.
- “Our prices are too high, and the competition is always undercutting us.”This belief focuses solely on price without considering the value and unique selling points of the product or service. Price selling puts a salesperson in competition.
- “The other company has a better product than me.“Comparing oneself to competitors can lead to a lack of confidence and a diminished ability to articulate the value of one’s offerings. If you are a sales manager and you hear this, you may need to educate your salesperson on why your benefits our weigh the competition.
- “My sales manager doesn’t understand the business, and things have changed.”Blaming external factors, such as a sales manager, prevents personal growth and ownership of one’s success. As a sales manager that might be a cry for help or the need for a different conversation.
- “I always get the clients who don’t buy, while others have all the best clients.”This excuse reflects a victim mentality, disregarding the potential to convert seemingly unpromising leads. That is why lead generation is a two-pronged strategy. The leads you are given and the leads you create yourself.
- “I’ve been assigned a lacklustre territory; the prospects just aren’t there.”Viewing a territory as inherently weak can limit creativity and resourcefulness in finding new opportunities.
Challenging the Excuses:If you hear yourself or your team say these types of excuses then it is time to challenge them.
It’s time to challenge these excuses and shift our mindset towards a more empowering perspective:
Mindset. Mindset plays a big part in sales. Our Mindset should be that every qualified client is a potential buyer, and it’s our job to show them the value of our product/service.” By focusing on how your offering solves their pain points, you can reframe their interest and turn them into loyal customers.
Emphasize the value, quality, and benefits that set your product or service apart, rather than solely competing on price. Ask really good questions and think about nothing more than asking those questions. The sale should be the last thing on your mind.
Finally, every client is an opportunity to learn and grow. By providing value, we can turn them into loyal customers. Cultivate a mindset of continuous improvement, seeking to understand your client’s needs and tailor your offerings accordingly.
Whatever career you decide to take in sales, it’s always good to get some help.
Have great week selling your stuff.
Mike
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