Your Next Sales Breakthrough

When we take responsibility for the wins and the losses, we advance to the next level of sales success. Excuse making is a performance killer. "Our stakeholder left the company." "Budget hold" "Nice to have, but not ready, yet." "They want us to circle back next quarter." "They are in transition right now" "This initiative is not budgeted." On so on. 

We are quick to jump up and take the victory lap when the deals close. But are we prepared to step up and also say, 'it's my fault we did not win this deal." And it really is. We did not demonstrate enough value to convince the prospect to spend their money with us. They passed. Went somewhere else. Found some other rep more compelling. We should ask, "What can I do better on the next call?" First place to start is when you are notified by the prospect that you lost. Ask that prospect why they did not buy. Also reflect-what worked in our last win that maybe we strayed from in this deal? Maybe we didn't build enough rapport-failed to ask enough though provoking questions. And so on.

If the loss is on us, then we have the power to improve and get better. If the loss is hung on one of our standard excuses, we forfeit the ability to learn and improve and eventually win more in the future. 

Accountability is your next sales breakthrough.

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