Shifting The Near Death Sale

I have been talking about the role of luck in sales this last week. We started out on Monday with a Zen Story that challenges all of us to rethink the events we designate to be good or bad luck. Sometimes circumstances that appear on the surface to be bad luck, after closer examination, really are good luck.

On Tuesday, I began exploring ways to turn bad luck into good luck. Friday I shared some ideas on the grief process as it applies to losses we all inevitably face in a sales career. Today I want to share a few thoughts on what I call “checking for a heartbeat”. Occasionally in medicine we here a story about someone who was pronounced dead or beyond hope only to have them miraculously rally back to life. Sales can offer similar situations. We can lose out on the opportunity to serve an important account if we prematurely assume the sale is dead.

I recommend checking with the decision maker using an approach like the following:

Mr. Decision Maker, first I want to tell you I appreciate the opportunity to present our service to your organization. I hope you have a good experience with Brand X and I hope I have earned the right to present again next time. We are constantly looking for ways to improve our products and services. Would you mind sharing what the other company offered that was the most attractive? (Let them answer fully and make sure to ask questions that give you the full picture. After discovering the issue…) If we could have offered you that feature and benefit would we have been able to keep your business? (Get the answer to this question. If the answer was yes….) Have you already signed a contract? (If the answer is no…) Would you allow me to check with my manager and see if that is something we could do for you also?

Sometimes you can put the shock paddles on the heart of a program and re-start it. Sometimes you can’t. But develop an emergency room strategy designed to pull deals back. This might only save one or two contracts a year, but if they are big accounts it can mean a nice bump in your paycheck. If you truly do offer the best solution, it could also mean your customer gets served with an increase in benefits.