Have you ever blamed someone or something for a mistake that you made?
- Take responsibility when something goes wrong.
- Don't even think about blaming the prospect.
Facing a problem in the sales process? Be honest with yourself. Whose problem is it, really?
Salespeople can sometimes be their own worst enemy, creating roadblocks and detours that prevent their own efforts from moving forward. All too often, they are tempted to blame the prospect for these occurrences. This is a little like standing on your own toe, and looking around for the person who's making your foot hurt. Whenever you encounter an unpleasant surprise in your sales, you much ask yourself: whose responsibility was it to uncover this problem in the first place?
You shouldn't become angry with a prospect for doing something that appears to stall the process...when it is your responsibility to discuss the potential roadblock in advance. Don't even think about blaming the prospect! This is your problem.
An unpleasant surprise
Here's an example. At the conclusion of your presentation, your prospect reveals that she is extremely impressed with your presentation. You believe you're about to close the sale. Then she informs you that she will give you a decision in a few days - just as soon as she reviews your information with the procurement committee.
Your stomach suddenly does a somersault, and your jaw clenches. You think: "Committee! What committee? You didn't tell me about any committee! Why on earth am I only learning about this now?"
That's a good question. The answer is simple: You're only learning about this now because you didn't find out enough about how the organization bought in the past. You didn't ask the right questions!
As a result, you can't get angry with the prospect for not telling you about the committee...but you can take personal responsibility for not finding out how the buying decision would be made, and who else in addition to the prospect would have to be involved in making that decision.
It really is your job to identify and discuss potential roadblocks with your prospect before you run into those roadblocks. Past experiences are good indicators of future roadblocks you may encounter. If you run into an unpleasant surprise along the way...that can only mean that you didn't do your job before trying to move forward!
Take responsibility! Resolve to ask better questions. Figure out what happened the last time they bought something like this. Once you know what the possible roadblocks are, you can decide on a course of action that serves both parties. You'll have more control over your selling efforts, the economic results will be more favorable...and your foot won't hurt so much. (See also Rule #41: There Are No Bad Prospects, Only Bad Salespeople.)
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