I’m a big believer in taking the time to do a complete De-Brief with the client after a lost sale. I wrote a blog on this subject in September, 2012. You can read it by clicking here.
In fact I go into significant detail on this topic in my book; “ What They Don’t Teach You in Sales School” For the professional sales exec it is imperative to learn why we lost in order to avoid making the same mistake in the future.
Recently I was talking with a former colleague at EMC regarding potential topics for my blog. Brendan brought this topic up. Quite frankly I believe that sometimes we fail to ask our customers why they chose our solution over the competitors? We are excited about winning the deal and move into delivery mode without taking the time for a De-Brief.
It is my belief that we don’t ask the question because we are convinced we know the answer. Or maybe we are concerned that asking the question will raise a red flag? But what if the reason the client purchased from you was not the reason you assumed it was? Then you are setting yourself up for a potential loss at that account in the future. In addition, you are not arming yourself with the correct data that could be instrumental in helping you close more business in other accounts in your territory.
You see it doesn’t matter what we, as sales people, think the primary reason the client is doing business with us is. What matters are the REAL reasons decisions are made in our favor? And how will we know for certain if we don’t ask the question?
So whether you win or lose, take the necessary time to learn as much as you can. It will better prepare you for future opportunities.
Thank you Brendan for bringing this to our attention!