Sales Minute

There are many legitimate reasons why a prospect doesn’t move forward in discussions with sales professionals, such as:

•    Wrong buying time frame;

•    Wrong decision maker;

•    They actually like their current supplier; or

•    They just don’t know, like and trust us enough.

Unfortunately, many sales professionals confuse these legitimate reasons for not moving a prospect forward with “lame excuses.” It’s a easy trap to fall into when your attitude is influenced by rejection, difficult situations and unreasonable people.

The 10 most popular “lame excuses” sales people use are:

1.    “The price is too high.” Sell security and value, not price and recycling.

2.    “There is no time for prospecting.” Create time, plan ahead, stay consistent and don’t waste time!

3.    “The goals are too high.” Stay committed, follow your plan and have a sense of urgency.

4.    “We don’t get enough support.” Don’t look to someone else to do your work.

5.    “No one is in a buying mode.” Create urgency and value. Most companies have a budget and will make decisions that make sense.

6.    “Shredding is commodity now.” Corn, oil, napkins are commodities, not shredding.

7.    “I can’t get an appointment.” The know, like and trust feelings are not there yet. Meeting with you has no value for the prospect yet; you must create value.

8.    “I can’t get my calls returned.” Do they have a reason to call you back or is your message just like every other sales person’s message?

9.    “Not enough people know about us.” Position yourself and your company as the expert.

10.    “I need more leads.” Cherry-picking and order taking are not high level selling techniques. Be strategic and find multiple ways to get your leads, such as through a company newsletter, speaking engagements and by writing articles for professional publications.

Keep in mind that if you ever find yourself being “lame” by using the above excuses, it’s time for an attitude adjustment. Stay positive!

Ray Barry is vice president of Total Product Destruction and president of Total Training Services, which operates The Shred School in Spartanburg, S.C. He can be contacted at raybarry@totaltrainingservices.com or at 864-699-8417.