Most of us know what it’s like to lose a sale that we thought was a sure bet. Even when a sale seems to go exactly as planned, you can still find that the project was given to someone else.
It’s always possible to lose a sale for reasons that you can’t control. Maybe the client was set on choosing another firm no matter what you said or did. Usually, though, you can trace the reason for a loss to a shortcoming in some aspect of your sales strategy. Your competitor may have done a better job showing the client a view of the future, for example. Or maybe you didn’t make a compelling enough case for the value you would deliver.
As you move through the sales process, it’s helpful to keep five essential elements of a winning sales strategy in mind. If you neglect any of the elements below, you’re adding unnecessary risk to your sales process.
- A Compelling Story – Help clients see their future and your role in the story.
- An Airtight Case for Change – Why your client needs to make a change now.
- A Comprehensive View of Value – Address the obvious and unexpected sources of value.
- Mitigation of Risk – Take the reasons to say no out of the equation.
- Trustworthiness and Trust – Transform trustworthy into trusted.
In the next week or so, I plan to write a series of blogs to highlight how each of these elements contributes to winning the sale. I’ll also suggest how you can incorporate each into your client sales efforts.
About Michael W. McLaughlin
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