A mishap will predict whether you are likely to get the sale or not. Why? It’s the way in which you handle the circumstances plus your demeanor that reveal your true personal brand. Your prospective clients will either be completely turned off or duly impressed.
Stand out from the crowd as errors occur by proceeding with humor.
Delete Poor Behavior
It’s commonplace to become frustrated when a prospective client forgets a meeting. Should it occur a second time, anger sets in. We think of all the reasons why the other party is to blame. This is the point where it becomes easy to say something to only be regretted later on.
Consequence
We might discover that a spouse landed in the hospital or that the power shut down in the office. But in the moment of anger, the sale was killed.
Reconsider
Think back to similar incidents and how they were handled.
Did you:
- Get angry and remain angry?
- Report the person to their manager?
- In the moment, did you decide to not give further consideration to the person?
Should any of the above be the case, think about whether an opportunity was missed. And if this was the case, begin thinking about how you might improve your response the next time a miscommunication takes place.
Change Focus
Instead of playing the blame game, focus on the greater good. This comes across by maintaining a smile on your face and humor in your voice. Encourage laughter when you are finally able to make the connection.
Should the error be that of the other person, convey it’s okay and that your desire is to leave it behind in order to move forward. By being mild mannered in attitude toward mishaps, others will be highly appreciative. They are then prepared to carefully listen to what you have to share.
When the error is yours, the first step is to quickly and sincerely apologize. Doing so is accepted almost 100% of the time. It calms the waters. Ask a buy-in question such as, “Are we good to move forward?” Agreement for moving forward shows all is forgiven.
Purpose
As future mishaps occur, take a deep breath to ready yourself to fix the issue. At the very least, make sure everyone is comfortable. Look to to the reason for the original purpose of the connection and the bigger picture. If it excites you, work diligently to resolve the problem.
Sales Tips:
- Delete blame from your mindset.
- Breathe deeply to let anger subside.
- Create a plan of action to fix misunderstandings.
- Ask for help when facing a dead-end.
- Review all the attempts to figure out where the misstep took place.
- Upon connecting, wear a smile.
- Joke about the miscommunication.
- Move forward as if only good occurred.
- Exchange information as originally promised with an eye on the greater good.
- Enjoy the conversation.
Following these guidelines will lead you to the Smooth Sale!
