Recently one of my long time customers was promoted to a new position, the head buyer for my specific type of products! I was so excited for her but more importantly for me. :) I sent her a card congratulating her, I knew that she liked our products, and so I immediately thought,
"Yeah baby! I'm gonna be rolling in the sales now!" WRONG!
I apparently had misjudged how much she liked the products in relationship to how much she liked her new job. Previously, she would text me about issues, or call me anytime, but now the chatter had stopped. I couldn't even get her on the phone or make an appointment. WTF? It was strange, and I couldn't understand what I had done to ruin the relationship. I kept reviewing the steps I had taken that might have pissed her off, but I couldn't think of anything I had written or spoken, that would have ended our relationship. I kept retracing my steps and blaming myself for doing something to upset her. But again, I was WRONG.
I spoke to a few of her colleagues and it turns out she has a position of power in which she has to manage costs and they told her she had to immediately cut costs by 30%. Naturally, she went with cheaper products even though she knew clinically they didn't work. Why? Because number one she's new to the position, and she's not a nurse anymore but an administrator, A "numbers" person, and these people don't think clinically, they think financially. And this is what she had become, a numbers person. Instinctively, I tried to get an appointment to sell her on the clinical benefits of all our products, but she cut me off with an email, which read:
"M,
I have spoken to our VP about your products and how effective they are, but at this time he has explained to me that costs are our greatest concern, and so we have signed a contract with a cheaper supplier. I have to be honest, I think it may be a mistake, but I am too new to the position to be "rocking the boat" right now. I have always appreciated your honesty and integrity and if things don't work out with this supplier I will call you ASAP.
All the best,
V "
Most sales professionals, especially trainers will explain that I must have missed something in the process, and I didn't explain how the benefits of the clinical nature of our products can translate into dollars and cents and savings for her. I say BULLSHIT. I find it amusing that trainers are always sticking to their system and giving you theoretical answers as to why you didn't make the sale. As if sales people are all robots and if we follow a system it will always work. Wake up sales teaching professionals! Systems don't always work, but people do! Individuals who try to tell you that they never miss a sale because they are able to "dollarize" the effectiveness of their products every time are big time liars. NO ONE, and I mean NO ONE, makes a sale every time. I don't care if your Tony Robbins or Zig Ziglar, it just doesn't happen. However here is what I can tell I learned from this process:
1. Relationships - Just because you have good rapport and people like you doesn't mean they're going to buy from you. Even when you have an intimate relationship with your contact, that doesn't guarantee a sale. They are more likely to buy from you, but if you can't get in front of the actual person making the decision in order to have an impact, then you're are screwed. You may be screwing the person using the product, but that doesn't mean the company will buy from you.
2. Know The Decision Maker - I was told by everyone that V would be the ultimate decision maker regarding all purchases of my products. However, if you read that email, it doesn't seem like she is making the decision. She has been given a mandate and the decision has already been made for her. So if she has to cut costs in this area by 30%, then switching to the cheapest product makes sense...especially if you are new and want to keep your job. My next step, would be to try and get to her boss, and this may take some time, but I'll get there. I may have to start stalking him/her.
3. Life Is Not Over - This was a big opportunity that I missed because I couldn't move fast enough on the true decision maker. Yet, it's not the end of the world! There is so much business in my market that I can go out and find 2 more customers that will make up for the loss of this revenue. The issue is that this was some low hanging fruit and I blew it, but I don't feel terrible. Hey, tomorrow is a new day, and in the end maybe I'll benefit from this experience. I won't say I'm bitter, but I hope her boss gets herpes...simplex 1. I'm not that bitter.
We live, we learn, and sometimes we break up, but life goes on. Have a great day selling!
-M
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