What causes clients to leave prematurely?
What does it take to be successful in your business sales? Most people in sales or business find themselves in a position where they seek to help another person by providing a service or product, and finally a sale will take place for those services. Sometimes things seem off in the sales process and just as prospects are ready to move forward, they seem to turn another corner. Then they leave to use another competitor.
During these times in business nothing seems to be working in your sales process. Money is becoming scarce, and worry is setting in. You have tried everything that you can think of. Yet, your clients seem to run the opposite direction. This leaves even seasoned business and sales professional’s wondering what happened.
I’m losing sales – what’s happening to my business?
This phenomenon often happens in sales. It usually happens with good meaning salespeople or business owners who lose their focus in the sales process and begin to focus on what they need rather that the client’s needs – it’s very subtle. They may find themselves thinking about the money the sale will bring in, the commission or a quota they’ll hit. This distracted focus is referred to as commission breath! That’s where the sale process goes off course because the salesperson is sending out the wrong unconscious signal to the potential buyer. Then, they may feel that your hungrier for the commission than doing the right thing for them. Therefore, they stop working with you and find another company to work with.
A sales and business professionals’ worst disease – commission breath!
As a mindset, performance, and business coach, I have encountered this many times. It can be the most difficult thing to work through.
Most of the time when we talk to others about what we can help them with, we come from the position of what we need (usually money). Even the thought of what we need, although not spoken sends a subconscious mixed message to your prospective client.
Rarely does your prospective client identify that you are thinking about your need. Instead, they simply feel like they can’t trust you because something isn’t quite right. They’re not sure why or what it is that is not right. And if they can’t trust you, they will never work with you, hence no-sale. In sales, we call this “commission breath”! It’s the stinky smell that a salesperson reeks of when they are motivated by what they can get from you.
Remember
No one wants to be SOLD; yet everyone wants to BUY!
How to make sales consistently
The strongest thing you can do to prevent commission breath is to have a regular time each day to set your intention and get in the right mindset. Stay focused on helping each prospect get what they need to make a good decision. Help them through each step of the sales process. Stay away from being pushy or salesy. Staying in the right mindset will tell the client that they can trust you to recommend the right solution to them.