The sale was in the bag.

From the first contact through the presentation, the customer was engaged, animated, and receptive to your ideas. All signs pointed to a signed agreement.

Instead, the client handed the business to your competition.

photo by Kurhan/dpc

Sales Advice: What’s your next move?

Your first impulse may be to argue. Resist it, even if you think the customer’s making a mistake. You won’t win the argument; going into attack mode guarantees you’ll never have a chance to win the account back.

It’s your responsibility to convince them. You didn’t. So learn something.

What can you do differently next time? 

You need to ask some questions, starting with this one: “Is the decision final?”

If it’s final, accept it. You’ve lost this round. Your job now is to gather enough information so you know what went wrong, and can position yourself more effectively the next time an opportunity arises.

What can you change to generate a different result?

Say this:

Thanks for considering us. I’m sorry it didn’t work out, but my competitor’s going to do a great job for you. 

It will be painful to say this. Say it anyway.

I respect your decision, and I won’t try to change your mind. Could I ask you a couple of questions?”

Asking permission first lowers resistance. 

Once they grant permission, the client is obligated to answer. Here are your questions:

1. “What made you decide to go with the other guys?”

2. “If we had offered the same thing, would you have gone with us?”

No matter what the answer is, don’t  try to reopen the sale—you promised.

After the conversation’s over, review the whole sales process in your mind. What did you miss? What questions can you add to your process to make sure you won’t miss it again?

A lost sale stings. Make sure you learn something from each one. Turn lost income into tuition on your sales education.

Question: What’s the toughest sales defeat you’ve faced? How did you handle it? You can leave a comment by clicking here.