No one likes to give up on a potential sale. We are raised to stick it through to the end and never give up. However, there are some cases where we are better off learning when to move on instead of insisting on a result. Sandler rule # 31 is “Close the sale or close the file.” Under this rule, one can either reach a sale or move on. In narrowing down a potential sales flop, Sandler gives 3 questions to ask:
- Is this a good fit?
- Is this person willing to work with me?
- Could my efforts be more productive somewhere else?
These questions are good to ask if you find yourself in a sales position headed towards a dead end.
I was recently faced with a challenging sales opportunity where I learned to apply these 3 questions. A new customer of my lawn moving business told me that they were not satisfied with my service and were seeking out another provider. After calling them back, they agreed to give me another chance and so I went back a second time to improve my work. Even after that attempt, they informed me that they wanted to go with another lawn care provider. As much as it hurt losing a customer, I was able to look back on these three questions and evaluate the situation. I realized that the customer was not going to be an easy person to work with and my efforts would be better placed on other projects. By realizing this, I was able to move on and take away this lesson: sometimes moving on is the best option, and not every lost sale has to be taken as a defeat as long as you learn and grow wiser through the process.
BoweryJE22
Adam, thanks for sharing how you saw this sales principle from Sandler come into play in real life. Although that is upsetting, it is true that not everyone will be the best fit for you and that’s okay. You can’t get every customer but that builds your character! Great article