Sales Training Part 2: 3 Reasons Why They Aren’t Saying Yes in your Sales Conversations and what to do about it

Business Sales, Sales

This is part 2 of my sales training series — to see Part 1: How to Move More Money Into Your Bank Account — click here.  It’s Thursday morning. You just got off a sales conversation, having spent 60 minutes of your precious time on the call. The person didn’t say “yes,” but she didn’t say “no” either. This is the 3rd call in the last four weeks where you’ve spent your time and energy with someone, but they just aren’t saying yes. 

You are tired. You wonder what is the right thing to say. You’re starting to get worried about paying bills this month.  You are starting to wonder if anyone out there in the world has any money at all! 

If you’ve ever been in this situation, I want you to know that you aren’t alone.  Before you give up on sales — there are 6 main reasons that your conversations may not be working. This week, we’re going to discuss the first 3 reasons and next week we’ll discuss the next 3. 

Problem #1: You Don’t Really Know What You Said

Over and over again I hear people saying, but Monica, I’m doing everything right and they are still saying “No.” I get it and that can be so frustrating.  But when I listen to my clients’ calls, often they don’t realize what they are saying (or not saying).  For example, one of my clients started whispering when she offered the prices — not very sales attractive.  Another client was rambling when she got nervous. This prevented her from really listening.  Yet another client didn’t even realize that she was skipping asking people to join her program. 

The Solution: 

RECORD and TAKE NOTES: Take Notes, Record and Review Often. Record and listen to your sales calls. Also take good notes while you do them. Often, you’ll be able to see what happened and where you went off course.

Here are some recording services: 

• • Audio Note (on computer) 
  • Audacity (on computer) 
  • Tape a Call Pro (cell phone app)

Here are some suggestions for taking notes:

• • Any kind of Client Relationship Management software (CRM)
  • Less Annoying CRM 
  • Pipedrive CRM 

Problem #2: You Just Aren’t Doing Enough Sales Conversations

Your Assumptions: Everyone else is selling perfectly. They are closing at 90-100%. So I must be doing something wrong.  People are just good at selling and I’m not one of them. They were born that way. I’ll never get there.  The Truth: No one is selling “perfectly.” In fact a good close rate in business is 1 out of 4. That means one out of every 4 people say yes. And most people start at a close rate that is closer to 1 out of 10. Yup, that means that one out of every 10 people say yes.  So what does that mean for you? 

Most entrepreneurs I meet are just not doing enough sales conversations.  I suggest doing at least 3 a week, which equates to 12 a month. Most of my clients need to do at least 20 sales conversations before they start to feel comfortable with selling (that doesn’t mean you won’t get clients before you hit 20, but getting comfortable is different from getting a yes).  I don’t say this so that you can judge yourself for not doing enough (we do too much of that already).  I say this so you can stop saying things like “Maybe this business won’t work for me. Maybe I just can’t do it.”  It’s not any of those things 🙂 It’s just that you need more sales conversations. So here’s your direction — don’t give up on yourself — you just need to practice, practice, practice. 

The Solution: 

PRACTICE: Perfect Practice Makes Perfect. No one is a born seller. No one. It can take anywhere from 10-50 sales conversations to get good at this. 

Problem #3: You Aren’t Listening to Your Own Intuition, Asking Enough Questions, or Using Your Gifts 

So this one can be tricky to explain. Because on the one hand I want you to get sales training and follow the methodology. On the other hand, I don’t want you to be just sitting there reading a script.  So, yes, you follow the flow of questions and stay in charge of where you are leading a client. But you may need to ask more questions for your own personal success. For example, let’s say you ask a client “what are your challenges?” And she tells you a great story, but doesn’t answer the question. You might need to ask again, “So I love that story, but what isn’t working for you right now?” 

Or let’s say a client tells you all about her great business idea. But you don’t really understand it. You may need to ask more specific questions like, “Tell me how you are making money again?” or “Explain how you do the sales part again?”  It’s also important to OWN YOUR GIFTS during the sales conversation.  Here’s what I mean. Let’s say you are great at seeing why someone might be stuck — perhaps you are highly intuitive. This gift usually comes out after someone buys from you.  I want you to use that gift during the sales conversation.  I don’t mean for you to solve all their problems or give them free services. Just don’t be afraid to dip into what you do on a deep level while you are selling to them. 

Solution: 

OWN IT: Sales is Personal. Your style is your style. Everyone will have a different sales style in the end for personal success. Pay attention to what works for you. Ask questions to clarify. Go slow enough to listen to your inner voice and follow it. Listening to recordings of your calls is a great way to refine this process for yourself (see problem 2 above).  Speak Your Truth. Every single one of you has great intuition. Pay attention to it. Use it. Go slow enough to hear it. Don’t be afraid to experiment and say things you wouldn’t normally say. Remember there’s always another sales conversation to be had. It’s OK to try things and test your strategies. Some keys from this sales training to remember:

1. Record and take notes during your sales conversations so you can learn from what you said. 
2. Do enough sales conversations to become good at them. 
3. Speak your truth and use your gifts during the sales conversations. 

Try these three suggestions this week and do let me know how it goes in the comments below.

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