We’ve all been there. You’re feeling passionate and enthused about your business. You know the difference you can make and the things you can offer. Your business motivation is high. But, sadly, not everyone will agree. The saying, ‘You can’t please everyone’ is particularly true when it comes to small businesses. The different paths through a standard sales process can be bewildering.
In some cases, it’s seamless and the sale is made in a textbook way with positivity and enthusiasm on both sides. At other times, it can be likened to pulling teeth! The main variable, of course, is the customer and everything that makes them the unique individual or individuals that they are.
Small Business Etiquette
This individuality means that people deal with things in entirely different ways. That email you sent them, that introduction at a networking event, that phone call or coffee. Some people will be pleased and understanding of your desire to win their business. Others will just be irritated. And this can be where you have to grow a thick-skin when running a small business.
When you are so entrenched in your own business that it, understandably, feels like an extension of you then these rejections can feel very personal indeed. The temptation can be to mull over and over any interactions you had. Wondering how you could have improved things and altered the eventual outcome. Whilst I would always advocate learning from previous mistakes this should be done in a positive way. View each sale that doesn’t come to fruition as a learning opportunity for next time.
Often, you are not high on the priorities of prospective clients. If you send an email and get a polite decline back then that’s a great result. You won’t waste any more time chasing them and the relationship stays pleasant. If, however, they choose not to respond and you email again and then they respond in a way that suggests you are hassling them that can be hard to take. It can make it difficult to maintain a positive business attitude.
Because small business owners are often incredibly busy it may take two or three emails to get a positive response from them. Think of all the sales you could be missing out on if you accepted defeat after someone fails to respond to one email? The exception to this is where people specifically ask you to remove their details from your database.
Tips To Feel Positive About Your Sales Process
At We Grow Businesses we feel there are a number of ways you can increase your confidence and positivity around your sales processes:
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Have a robust sales framework – Have a clear vision of what you need to do and when and how you need to do it. Write it down. Account for loopholes. Think about how you can plug those gaps where potential sales fall through. Get it slick enough that you could pass the details on to someone else and they would know how to process a potential sale, your way, from beginning to end.
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Reflect and learn – When a sales activity doesn’t have the desired outcome…learn from it. Don’t just focus on the negatives. Reflect on it critically but be sure to give yourself credit for what went well. Think about how you can improve it next time.
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Get an impartial view – Ask someone impartial what they think of your sales process. Would it irritate them if you emailed them three times? How long would they like before they were contacted after an initial sales meeting? Be sure that you’re 100% happy with all your processes. You could find this fresh look increases your business motivation!
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Role play – If you get tongue-tied in sales meetings why not practice what you need to say out loud? You may feel silly doing it but it could pay dividends when you’re confident in a sales meeting
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Streamline processes – Diligently record all potential clients in a CRM system and keep track of what stage of the sales process everyone is at.
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Reflect on previous successes – On days when it feels like everyone is saying no remember all the people who have said yes. Refuse to take it personally and don’t dwell! Choose to believe tomorrow will be a better day!
If you’d like to streamline your sales processes and boost your confidence We Grow Businesses can help. Join us for a free, no-obligation, health check where we will compare your business results to other businesses in the area and advise you on ways to grow. for more details visit: https://wegrowbusinesses.co.uk/serv
