Even the most experienced salespeople may be unknowingly sabotaging themselves. Whether it’s a lack of self-awareness, a gap in training or something else altogether, sales professionals may do or say things that cause the prospect to want to pause or back out entirely.
Casey Murray, who leads The Virtual CRO, says salespeople undermine their chances of winning sales by allowing “value leaks” – instances where body language, tone or email verbiage diminishes the perceived value of their solution.
In this issue of PromoPro Daily, we highlight Murray’s thoughts on some common ways you could be ruining your chances of closing.
You sound defeated. If you’re feeling discouraged, your voicemails will probably convey your emotions. Murray recommends staying mindful of how you come across in voicemails. Don’t apologize for checking in, don’t trail off and don’t rush through common phrases. Instead, be intentional with your voice and tone.
You make unnecessary concessions. Never pre-negotiate, Murray says, and always avoid statements like, “We always throw that in” or “If we wait until the end of the quarter, we can give you the best price.” Buyers have a responsibility to negotiate, he says, and you have a responsibility to protect the margins and avoid discounts.
You’re overly eager or nervous. When you don’t hear from a prospect, your confidence may falter. As a result, you might try to chase down your buyer or come across panicky about closing the deal. Always remain composed, Murray says.
You’re too passive when scheduling meetings. You shouldn’t be rude with your prospects, but you also shouldn’t take an “aw shucks” mentality, Murray sways. Be willing to be assertive when scheduling meetings. Your time is valuable, just like theirs.
You lack confidence in meetings. Once you’re in a meeting, bring that same assertiveness into the discussion. For example, Murray says you shouldn’t respond to a pricing request in the first five minutes of a meeting. Your solution deserves a full discussion of the value it provides, and you diminish that by jumping right into price.
Your nonverbal communication is lacking. Maybe you slouch in meetings or don’t make enough eye contact. Even if you’re meeting with someone virtually, you need to project confidence.
You let the skeptics rattle you. Some salespeople welcome questions as opportunities. Others, though, get defensive or disgruntled. Instead of crumbling anytime a skeptic challenges you, Murray recommends engaging them and showing them you don’t fear their input.
You get nervous handling objections. How you handle objections shows a lot about your ability to maintain the perceived value of your solution, Murray says. Just like tough questions from a buyer, an objection gives you a great chance to put their fears to rest.
You drop the ball during sales presentations. Mistakes happen. Maybe you’re pitching to a restaurant but your slides don’t show any restaurants – only schools or airports or something totally unrelated. Don’t lose your composure over these perceived flaws. Instead, understand the strengths of and potential gaps in your value proposition and be prepared to address both, Murray says.
You spend time and effort finding and nurturing leads. Don’t blow it by letting the issues above creep into your process.
Compiled by Audrey Sellers
Source: Casey Murray leads The Virtual CRO company, which provides sales growth strategies for B2B companies.
