“Selling is a contact sport. If you can’t roll with the sales punches, you get knocked out. You need to get back up, and close.” This quote off of Catherine Brinkman’s LinkedIn is a metaphor discussed throughout this video interview, hosted by John Golden. In sales, if you knocked down over and over again, it becomes harder to get back up. It is even harder to get back into it knowing you might get exposed to another flurry of potential punches. Salespeople can often get stuck in this rut, making it difficult to hear repeated “no’s.”
In this sales expert interview learn:
- How to roll with the metaphorical “sales punches”
- How to differentiate between the different kind of “no’s”
- Techniques to help you bounce back when feeling deflated
Roll with the Punches
Brinkman discusses how to roll with the sales punches. “You have to focus on what you did wrong, and how can you make things better.” That is the first step to dodge the metaphorical sales punch, and come back quicker when a punch does land. ‘What did I do right, and what do I need to improve?’ are the questions that every salesperson should be asking themselves after closing a sale, or after a sale falls through. “If you’re making a lot of calls and you’re not getting what you want to get, think ‘how can I do this better, how can I make changes?’ And then you’ll improve,” said Brinkman.
Knowing your “No’s”
Brinkman recommends thinking of every “no” as pushing you closer to getting a “yes.” Understand the kind of “no” that you get when the client does throw that punch at you. First, there are “objection no’s,” where the client really is objecting, and the salesperson has to figure out what the objection is.
However, there is another kind of “no” that might leave the opportunity for a future pitch. There are genuine reasons why a company might say “no” at the current moment, but there might be a better time down the line to try the pitch again. For example, if the company is going through a reorganization process, it might not be a good time for them to buy a product. Alternatively, the budget might have already been maxed out for this fiscal year. These kinds of “no’s” can be understood as “no for now,” and can be pursed later.
Additionally, it is very important to figure out what the company is genuinely saying when they say “no.” This helps the salesperson recognize if it is time to close the sale or not. Being empathic, asking questions, and utilizing rapport with the client will help give the seller more information. This information helps decipher if a client worth keeping in the pipeline, pursuing the sale at a different time. “Instead of just thinking, ‘that’s it, it’s over,’ gather information on the kind of ‘no’ you’re getting. Check back in a few months if appropriate.
Bouncing Back
Brinkman has a few tips to help revive confidence. “Start your day by calling your favorite client. Don’t try to sell them anything, simply ask them how they’re doing. Ask how the product or service you sold them is working for them. Just have a genuine conversation. You will leave the call happy and in a good mood, and have more energy to continue the rest of your day,” Brinkman says. She also recommends starting fresh with each new call, leaving behind the earlier frustrations of the day.
About our Host:
John is the Amazon bestselling author of Winning the Battle for Sales: Lessons on Closing Every Deal from the World’s Greatest Military Victories and Social Upheaval: How to Win at Social Selling. A globally acknowledged Sales & Marketing thought leader, speaker, and strategist. He is CSMO at Pipeliner CRM. In his spare time, John is an avid Martial Artist.
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