Sales Pro: When Shouldn’t You Give Up?
Good Luck or Hard Work?
This past weekend I found myself once again on the sidelines of a soccer field coaching my daughter’s school team. It became evident early on this would be a very tight game. Toward the end of the first half, the opponent scored on a goal that caromed off of two of our players and somehow found the back of the net. The third quarter of the game, we dominated. We had multiple shots on goal and the ball never came over to our defensive side of the field, but we just couldn’t score. The fourth quarter was a different story…
The attack was non-stop. We could not get them out of our zone. It was one harrowing defensive stand after another and I thought our girls were worn out. There is no visible game clock but in my head, I knew time was running short. I turned to a dad and said, “If we could just get the ball down to the other side and get a shot…”
A moment later we were able to get the ball out of our zone and down to the other side of the field. Unfortunately, we kicked the ball out of bounds and the opposing team had a goal kick which most likely would result in the ball being kicked back down to our defensive side of the field. As their goalie approached the ball, my daughter watched her and attempted to position herself where she thought the goalie might kick the ball, not far outside of the box. The risk was if she guessed wrong the ball could fly over her head, effectively ending the game. On this occasion, she guessed correctly.
The goalie kicked the ball and my daughter knocked the ball down with her left foot, she then dribbled the ball into the box, moved to her right and took her shot. The ball flew past the outstretched arms of the goalie into the net. Before the ball could be placed at the center of the field for the kickoff the whistle blew and the game was over.
This is my second year helping coach this team and our 5th year watching this group of kids play together. I have never seen the team, the parents and my daughter more excited over the result of a game – and it was tie!
When you look at the goal my daughter scored, I’m sure some may have walked away saying “that was so lucky; they should have lost that game.” Was it really luck? Or was it because she had watched the goalie’s tendencies most of the game and had a pretty good hunch what might happen in that situation? The other and most important piece of the puzzle: the entire team never gave up. They knew they could turn the tide and the team got the ball to the other end of the field to set up the scoring opportunity.
The Lesson
In Sales, how many times have you initially lost a deal even though you did everything in your power to win it? You have the better product or service, you’ve been as thorough, complete and professional as possible and yet you still lose.
What do you do next? You might be saying “What do you mean, what do I do next? I lost the deal; I move on to the next opportunity and don’t get hung up on it.”
Normally I would applaud this and it is not altogether a wrong answer. The difference is: if you know you have the better solution – should you completely give up? My opinion is: NO. If your examination of the client needs, outcomes and value match yours better than your competition, you should:
- Continue to cultivate the relationship with the client.
- Continue to examine your competition and wait for the right opportunity to exploit their weakness as is relates to successfully serving the client.
- Leverage your team and their expertise from marketing, service, production and operations to help you move “the ball down the field.”
- When the opportunity comes, don’t hesitate and take one back from your competition!
Selling is not for the faint of heart or for those who give up when they know have the right solution for THE CLIENT. It is not for those who think they can figure it out all on their own without the support of their team. It is not for those who give luck (whether it be bad or good) undue credit.
Elevate your Selling; don’t be like the rest, be a Sales Pro.
