No matter how many sales conversations you do, eventually, you will have to deal with rejection. Not every prospect you meet with will be a perfect fit and you have to know when to walk away. It is important to have situational awareness and know that “hey this isn’t going to work out.” Unfortunately, knowing when to walk away isn’t easy, as humans we like to hold on to the very last second and see the potential even if it is slim. But all that is doing is wasting your time and the client’s time. If you feel like you’re never getting over that pain hump and they aren’t telling you what they want no matter how hard you push or pull back, it is time to walk away. Fortunately, that doesn’t mean you have to go empty-handed. Asking the client if they have anybody else that might need your business is a good route to take if things don’t work out with the original client. The worst they can say is no, and the best they can do is give you someone else’s information and before you know it you have a new prospect. It is important to not over-commit to the client and become desperate. The “never take no” saying does not apply to this case because if you never take a no, then you’ll never grow as a salesperson. Pushing and pushing will only make things worse for you and can have a damper on your reputation. I feel like being able to walk away when you know that it won’t work out shows maturity and the prospect can respect that. It also doesn’t mean that your relationship is over forever, you never know what can happen and the opportunity to try again in different circumstances may arise. In the end, sometimes you and the prospect aren’t a good fit, if that may be the case, now you when to walk away.
By astrabmg22
BoweryJE22 2 thoughts on “Knowing when to walk away – Blog Post #8”
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The perspective on knowing when to walk away from a sales conversation in your blog post resonates deeply. It’s a skill that can distinguish a seasoned salesperson from a beginner. However, I’d like to add that beyond recognizing disinterest and mismatches, there’s also an art to leaving the door open for future opportunities. Instead of viewing an unproductive conversation as a flat rejection, it could be beneficial to consider it a not-now situation. Establishing a positive, respectful exit can turn today’s no into a potential yes down the line.
Mike, this is a great post, I think it is really well done. Knowing when to walk away is so important, because there is a time in a sales conversation where you just end up wasting your time. There are a lot of different signs that you can see in a sales conversation that point towards the prospect not being a good fit and you did a good job outlining those.