In a sea of choices, we expect that our prospect is going to identify exactly why we are best suited to fulfill their need. We get upset when they go with someone else and blame it all on the customer.
“They have no idea what they are doing” – you didn’t explain it properly
“It was a price thing” – it’s usually not
“They will be sorry” – they don’t think so
Too often we don’t even know why we should be picked, so how can we expect the prospect to?
We need to become experts in our own products and services. We need to know both what we are good at and what we are bad at. We need to come along side our prospects to see what their needs are and not see what we have to sell them. I believe there are two reasons we lose a client.
- They don’t need us.
- We haven’t properly defined our solution.
If the answer is number 1, move on because that is a bad prospect. But if the answer is number 2, it’s time to start sharpening your skills.
Think through every lost deal you have had, every closed door. I would bet most of them fit in one of those two categories.