You've already told him everything. Looks good, you're supposed to call to sign the contract. In 14 days. You don't have anything more concrete in your hand. Three weeks later, you call. You don't want to look like you're pushing too hard. But the contact isn't answering. So you write a few e-mails, send a few texts. When you catch up with him.
"Sorry, I've been busy. I just got your message. Our matter is being reviewed by our lawyers and IT. You know lawyers and IT? There you go. I don't know when that's going to be. When I get it back, I'll get back to you."
He won't. Not even if you keep chasing him. That'll make it worse. The fact is, you didn't do enough work on this business opportunity yourself. You let it get away from you.
How did that happen? And how do you prevent it? I'll answer all this in a three-day intensive B2B Business Incubator that starts now in October. Together, we'll look at the most common mistakes salespeople make when closing deals and talk about how to avoid them. But we'll look at some of the mistakes now. What to watch out for?
One contact doesn't make a business
Salespeople usually try to get one contact in the company who will listen to them. Why? It's easier. But it doesn't work. Because you can't do big business with one employee. That contact usually doesn't have the power to buy your product, even if they wanted to. If you want to succeed, it's gonna cost you more work. You need to proactively seek out 5 to 7 other contacts who will comment formally or informally on the deal.
Did the negotiations stall after the first meeting? Did it look good at first, but then the potential customer suddenly lost interest? Did you overwhelm him with too much unnecessary information? This is another mistake I often encounter. Salespeople often discuss the added value of a product or service and emphasize the product's parameters and features. But the customer doesn't care how big the product is or what colour it is. Instead, what matters to them is how it solves their problems, how it makes their job easier and their life simpler. Tell people what they want to hear. Not what you want to tell them. The emotional side is forgotten by 80% of salespeople. And that's why so many of them can't do business.
You don't ask enough questions
"They seem adamant. All they care about is the low price. We can't fit it in. They must know they're going below cost. Only the cost of materials is higher. I don't give a damn, I won't be blackmailed even if I have to lose them."
Sound familiar? I've had a lot of salesmen come to me angry like that. And then I ask them. Who's the client? How often does he order? Why are they pushing the price? What does he need that would help him? And I keep asking until the lights come on. We'll find a solution. We present it to the client, and he's happy. But why didn't you come up with the same solution yourself sooner? You didn't think enough about the problem and you didn't ask enough questions.
But at the Incubator, we'll fix that. I'll show you how to think about each problem, what questions to ask, and how to change entrenched business approaches.
Nobody likes a braggart
Another very common mistake is to show off, show off and suck up to a new client. You try to please them at all costs. Like Libor.
"Hi. I'm Libor Vtíravý. I live in Karlovy Vary. I've been here for five years. In a fancy villa with a huge garden. I just bought a tractor for it yesterday. So I could have grass like on a golf course. The one I'm looking at from the balcony. Oh, and did I tell you I just bought a new Porsche? It's a blast, what can I tell you? The sound. I use it to wake up the neighbors. I'm gonna give it a good thrashing. Hey, here's your number. Call me. I'll let you through."
Far-fetched? Not exactly. I don't think you'd like that kind of person in your personal life. And you might even kick him out the door quickly. But what about in your professional life? When was the last time you acted like that in a business meeting? Or when has someone committed it against you? Beware. Customers don't hear that.
CRM system manages the business for you
"I just won't, sorry. It's a dirty administration that's just keeping me from my work. I'll just put the final in there so you'll have the numbers, but I'm not going to put every piece of crap in there. You'd still be riding me."
Sales directors and owners, I'm sure you're familiar with this. Typical sales rep reaction to implementing a company CRM. Fear of workflow change. Of more responsibilities. Fear of being controlled by a superior. Fear of more transparency about who is doing what and why. CRM deployment by management is often motivated by these very goals. I saw it the same way years ago. But today, CRM is something else for me. A personal assistant. A diary. To do lists. The central brain of humanity.
What's not in the CRM, doesn't exist. Remember, if you're still actively marketing, what it's like to search for bid documents. Remembering in vain what you actually agreed and what price you discussed? When is your next meeting and what do you have to prepare for it?
I know it myself. And that's why in the B2B Business Incubator, I'll also b so you never burn your fingers again.
We accelerate your business
Let's see - do any situations sound familiar? Which mistakes have caused you to lose a contract? We'll discuss them all in the B2B Business Incubator. There will be time for your questions and we'll also address specific situations and projects you've been stuck on. Together, we'll draw influence maps, break down the motivations of individual decision makers, build value proposition lists for them, and learn how to approach people the right way. We'll delve a little into psychology and strategy. In addition, we'll build a business process individually for each company to match the client's buying process as closely as possible.
No theory in a workbook, but clear and immediately applicable approaches that will enable us to raise the success rate of outreach, shorten the sales cycle and accelerate the entire deal.
Sound good to you? Are you tempted by these results? You can have them!
Sign up for the B2B Business Incubator today.