I can no longer close to existing customers

puttyshankleton

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 !

Gary Boye

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.

MitchM

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.

SalesGuy

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.

RainMaker

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.

Gary Boye

Very sound advice--all of it.

khunvi

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.

susana

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

Thomas

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.

rlabston

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.