I can no longer close to existing customers

Ive went back to a sales job where I was top seller every day with 15 sales on average.

It was cross selling to existing customers and no cold calling.

The sale is simple. Offer them a service that saves money on their telephone bills without changing anything. We provide them free calls etc.

Now, its the close. I cant close them. The resistance these days are incredible. We send out written info 3 days after the call. 14 days later the service starts.

When I was here before, I would only get resistance in obtaining bank details. Now its ' Send it in post, I dont do anything over the phone. ' or ' I will have to think about it' or ' I have to ask my wife/husband/ girlfriend/boyfriend. '

It is frustrating. I cant close them!

Please help ! -puttyshankleton

Putty, you've already proven that you can "close them" because you have the skills. Quit being so hard on yourself.

Slumps happen--they are real. Been there done that. Being rusty upon returning is common. Been there done that too.

Throw away your measuring stick. "Top seller" isn't an identity--it's a temporary truth. Don't measure yourself against what was happening before. You're not getting paid on what was happening before. And--don't measure yourself against others. You have the skills. Just work. Slumps are temporary truths also. If you've accepted one you have to accept the other. You'll do fine. -Gary Boye

That's a great "coach's" advice to you from Gary, puttyshankleton - I want him coaching my team. At the same time I'd suggest another quick analysis of what you're doing [ like checking your swing or stance and delivery] to check your immediate activity to see if it's what you should be doing on the calls - don't make a big deal out of it - then move ahead and go through the next hundred calls and see what happens.

Someone with more experience than I have in this area might suggest something more concrete I can't. I know when I've slumped my motivational levels have been low and hence my energy low, my drive low, my forward thrust low and I know that had an impact not only on my responsed but on how I did the calls. So looking at reasons for low motivation was what I had to do. And I usually couldn't find them - just had to keep warming up and taking my cuts.

That's all I can offer and the best to you. -MitchM

There is a well worn path for climbing out of a slump puttyshankleton.

First, manage your attitude. Put your ego aside. Forget about your reputation and/or image as "top seller". For now, be willing to fail and/or look the fool.

Next, manage your actions (and forget about results). Go back to the basics. I don't mean basics like "this is a phone" but instead back to qualify, present, and close without all of the shortcuts and attitudes that come with experience.

Focus on these two ideas and you'll be on your way to getting back to good. :cool: -SalesGuy

Putty,

Don't get down about the change in enviroment. Yes, you may be rusty, but also YES the market is dynamic not static. You didn't mention the length of time since your previous successes in this job. With modern technology, people are hit from SO many new sides with SO many new angles, they are even more suspicious than they were a few years back.

If it makes you feel any better, let me tell you what I did today:

I decided to GIVE away a free ad for 1-year to businesses in the market segments that don't lend themselves as well to my concept, in order to build up the website to make a more exciting environment for those whom I want to SELL to.

I called for several hours offering completely FREE advertising (with no catch) and I had only 3 or 4 business say YES. The rest...a couple actually said NO THANKS (talk about auto-response...), and many asked for more information to pass along to a decision maker, or to review for whatever reason..etc..

You just need to re-orient: people are LEARY of phone calls, but they will still buy when you find their comfort zone. -RainMaker

Very sound advice--all of it. -Gary Boye

Everything can change over time, including the habit of the customers. So, the sales person has to learn and adapt themselves from time to time. -khunvi

It's easy to believe when you're doing well. When sales are slow, that's the time to go back to the sales process. The questions you ask, the needs you find, and whether those needs are compelling people to action (buying).
The hardest thing I ever went through as a rep was being brought into a new company as the 'heavy hitter'. I didn't close anyone for 4 months. I finished every year in the top 3 reps, but still went through slumps where I didn't close anyone for 2 or 3 months.

Cheers

Susan -susana

You read my mind. I have been thinking about this all morning. I was thinking that top salespeople probably ask better questions and I was wondering what those questions were. -Thomas

Whatever you were doing before, go back to doing it now. For me, I am at my best when I think of myself as helping a friend rather than making a sale. I have to first believe that I am helping and then it is easy to see the other person as a friend. When I see that prospect as something other than a person that I care about (like a potential sale, for example), my attitude is picked up by the person I am speaking to. Do you get to know the person you have called before you try to make a sale? Take a minute to let him or her know that you see a person, not a prospect. -rlabston

Theoretically if you are phoning existing customers you should be a fair part of the way there. I used to phone existing customers for a windows company and at the time found the most viable and effective way into the call is to start as a customer service call.

Phoning them to ask a few questions and establish wether they happy with the service, is a great way to relax the client and prevent them associating your cal with just another sales call!

I have no idea wether the following idea would work within your industry, but i always found the following approach to show the best results.

"the other reason for my call Mr Smith, is that head office has sent tour details, simply it seems that we have generated some business as a result of yourself, did you reccomend us to a few people some time back?"

Amazingly they all say yes, i guess perhaps they are waiting to see if you are going to send them a cheque for their help!

"Well effectively Mr Smith what my head office has said as a gesture of good will, and a way of syaing thank you we can offer you..........."

The key here is just making them feel it is something they have earnt, something they are entitled too.

Again i dont know if this will work, but one things for sure now that you have identified things becoming harder in your industry, take a step back.

If you always do what youve always done, you will always get what youve always got.

So move on shake it up, and be different before anyone esle so you can gain the business lost by others, because everyones heard it all before! -adammead26