3 THINGS THAT ARE SABOTAGING YOUR SALES CALLS – AND WHAT TO DO INSTEAD TO DOUBLE YOUR CLOSE RATE

Without Relying On Any Sleazy High-pressure Sales Tactics

As a business coach and marketer, I’ve had countless sales calls with potential clients from all over the world, and I’ve seen my fair share of sales calls gone wrong – I mean horribly cry after the call kinda wrong.

And in spending over 2 years training with 6 and 7-figure master salespeople I realized that there are a few common mistakes that entrepreneurs make during their sales calls that prevent them from booking out their schedules with paying clients. So today, I’m going to break down three of the most common things that may be sabotaging your sales call success – and exactly what to do about them so you can double your close rate this month without resorting to any sleazy high-pressure sales tactics.

Because no’body got time for that.

Let’s dig right in.

2) YOU’RE NOT ADDRESSING OBJECTIONS

Objections are a natural part of any sales call. Potential clients may have concerns about your product or service, such as price, quality, or fit.

The problem is, that for most entrepreneurs, it’s super easy to go into a place of emotional shut-down and defensiveness when we’re faced with an objection during our sales process.

I remember a conversation I had really early on in my business journey with a great-fit prospect who was really eager to work with me.

Here’s how our conversation went:

Her: “I really see the value here, but this is just too far out of our price range and company budget.”

Me: “No problem! I completely understand. I know you’ll find the right fit. Goodbye.” Clink (Ends zoom call)

At that moment I panicked, thanked the client and politely ended the call (all while sweating profusely.)

You see, back then, I didn’t realize that an objection didn’t always mean NO.

I later learned that in some cases, objections are our prospect’s way of looking for reassurance and clarity that they’re making the right decision or that our product or service is the right fit for them.**

**Sidebar: You’ll need to read the room here. Sometimes objections do mean no and our job is not to push our prospects into a different decision. Our role is simply to fully understand what this objection means and have the courage to face it head on and support our prospects to make the best decvision for THEM.

Ignoring objections or trying to talk around them will only make the potential client more resistant to your pitch. Instead, acknowledge their objection and address it directly.

For example, if I could go back in time and repeat that conversation here’s a better scenario:

Me: “I completely understand where you’re coming from and I know how important it is to work within your budget. Is the investment the only thing holding you back from having this be an easy yes for you?”

Her: “Absolutely. We love the offer, however, we need to work within our budget.”

Me: “Fabulous. If we could tailor this project’s deliverables to fit within your budget would you be open to having a conversation about this?”

Her: “Yes, let’s do it!”

Can you see how asking strategic questions could have turned this dead-end sales conversation into a paying client?

I highly recommend that you brainstorm some of the objections you may face and prepare your responses ahead of time by adding some notes to your sales process script or flow. This will support you to better handle objections in the moment and keep the sales call moving forward.

Not sure how to handle these objections? I teach a super simple and effective framework for this inside my signature client attraction experience. You can check that out here.

THE REMEDY:

Understand that an objection doesn’t always mean an immediate NO. Anticipate objections. Ask strategic questions.

3) YOU’RE HANDING THE REIGNS OVER TO YOUR PROSPECT

While it’s important to listen to your potential client’s needs and concerns, you also need to take control of the conversation and hold a strong leadership frame.

Your client is looking for someone to lead them to their next level – whether that be in their health, wealth, relationships or business. When you allow your potential client to control and steer the conversation, you may be sending the unconscious signal that you are not that leader – since you’re allowing them to take the reigns.

Your prospects need to feel the energy of ‘I’m safe. I’m supported. They’ve got me.” during your sales process – and one of the best ways to create this energy is to have a clear action plan for the conversation you’re entering into as well as being able to hold the energy of a leader by gently steering the conversation in alignment with the agenda.

In addition to this, not having a clear sales process and allowing your prospect to steer the entire conversation may mean going off-topic or missing key points that could help you close the sale.

Here’s a fun example of how not doing this could be costing you serious cash:

Let me set the scene for you.

I was looking to hire a brand stylist. I’d found someone that I really connected with and everything was a green light from my end. All that was left to do was have the final sales call. Her work was phenomenal and I was excited to go ahead, that was until we got on the sales call together.

Here’s a snapshot of our call:

Her: “Hello”

Me: “Hello ” (Queue the awkward silence)

Her: “So what would you like to discuss today?”

Me: “Ummm you wanted me to get on the call with you today so I guess I’d like final confirmation about your package and how to go forward?”

Her: “What would you like to know”

…………………………………………………………………….

Contrast this with the conversation I had with the brand stylist I ended up hiring instead:

Her: “Hey Megan, I’m Melissa and it’s so great to chat with you today. Today I wanted to jump on this call to make sure I answer any last questions you have about your brand styling package and make sure you’re clear on how it all works. I’m going to be asking you lots of questions today to get clear and then I’ll open up space for you to have all your questions answered before we go ahead. Does that sound good?”

Me: “Absolutely! Super excited.”

Her: “Okay great – so let’s start off by talking about your goals…”

Me: whips out credit card The takeaway? Certainty sells.

THE REMEDY:

To take control of the conversation, prepare your sales process flow ahead of time and make sure to stick to it. Don’t expect your prospect to lead the conversation. It’s time to step up and lead.

IN SUMMARY

*Sales calls aren’t about proving your worth or hard-selling anything. They’re about understanding where your prospect is at, and deciding whether or not your offer is a win-win fit for both of you.

* Objections don’t always mean ‘no.’ Objections can be an invitation to greater understanding if we approach them with courage.

* Your prospects are looking for a leader to support them to reach their next level. Embody the energy of the leader in every interaction with your potential clients and you’ll create a feeling of next-level trust and support.

Need support building a solid, repeatable sales process that gets you booked? I cover this in detail in my signature client attraction experience. You can find out more about that here.

JOURNALING & REFLECTION

Here are some of my favorite reflection questions from today’s topic:

* Do I have a clear, repeatable sales process that consistently helps me to close clients?

* Am I holding a strong leadership frame during my sales conversations or am I allowing my prospects to steer the conversation?

* How do I react when faced with objections? Do I retreat and become defensive or am I able to face them with courage?

* What are 3 steps I can take to improve my sales process?