One this we know about top performing sales people is that they, like everyone else, make mistakes and fail to close business. The difference is that Top Performers take ownership of the loss, learn from their mistakes and apply those learning to the next opportunity. As a result, top performers seldom lose business for the same reason more than once. When I interview top performers and I ask them, what happened, “why did that client not buy?” they answer buy saying:
“I didn’t qualify the client deeply enough” or
“I didn’t follow up the way I should”
“I presented to early”
“I didn’t clarify my understanding.”
Never do top performers blame the client, their company or their colleagues for the loss. They know, that ultimately the responsibility is theirs.
So, what can we do to emulate this behaviour and become a top performer. Easy. Take a minute right now and think about the last time you lost some business. Maybe the client didn’t file the paperwork on time or maybe they cancelled. Maybe they stood you up for a meeting? Now, what are 2 things you cold have done differently that might have prevented the loss? What could you have done to avoid the missed meeting or the cancellation. Write those down. Take ownership of them and promise yourself that you will take those actions on the next customer. Doing so will ensure that you avoid the same situation again