Losing Sales

First you can't lose a sale that you didn't have. What sales people are really describing is 'not winning the sale'. You may say it's semantics: if you don't win then you must of lost. Okay, so maybe we should say that people are awarded the business like they do with public bids instead of calling it winning and losing. But this is not the point of this post. Winning not losing is the point of the blog.

Let's list the many way we describe losing sales:

* They got a better price from the current provider
* The ceo is related to the owner of the company that got the business
* We got in the deal too late
* Our products were not as competitive
* Underwriting didn't want the deal
* I couldn't get to the decision maker
* The committee decided not to make a change
* The timing was bad
* They are afraid to make a change now
* They liked us
* We made a great presentation
* We demonstrated our skills so the next time they go out to bid they'll know who we are (I love that one0

Should I go on? All the reasons that you have come up with over the years as to why you didn't get the deal all come down to one thing - you didn't get the deal.

There isn't anything admirable about not getting a sale. You can sugar coat it all you want, but looking good and having people like you and making a great presentation isn't nearly as good as getting the business. Surely you didn't present a solution just to 'practice' or demonstrate your capabilities. That doesn't pay very well.

Winning is hearing yes:

* Yes you can talk to the decision maker
* Yes I will schedule an appointment with you
* Yes I have a problem that I have to fix
* Yes I will invest the right amount of time or money to fix the problem
* Yes I will make a decision when you present you solution
* Yes I will buy from you
* Yes I will introduce you to others.

That is winning.

In 2010 when you think about what you want to accomplish this year think about winning, what it really means and then go do everything possible to win more. Sure you'll lose some. When you do, take it personally, get mad, figure out what you should have done differently and then go out and work to win again.