BASICS OF SALES

Sometimes things happen that you have no control over or that you can not ever foresee as happening. Things happen in life and needless to say also in sales. When you come into a situation where customer's are irate because you, your company, or your product under performs, you'd best have a plan to assuage them. The plan better make sense and it better appear to be sincere.

I remember early on in my career other salespeople telling me about this. “There will come a time (and sometimes it may seem all too often) where you will be the brunt of hostility by someone in your customer's office or hierarchy”. The thing I made sure of is that I had better have a plan, a way to combat those days when bad things happen.

Back in the day I would carry three by five index cards with me when I visited accounts. I would jot down any pertinent information I thought important. Later on it all went on to my laptop. Non the less I would make sure I had a record of anything I thought significant and, more importantly anytime I helped someone out in the account or took care of a problem worth noting.

When I was called in by an irate customer or someone of note in the account I now had a record of how I performed in the account and more importantly how I handled big time problems. This was not a short time thing but something I amassed over a good period of time and held for just such grave circumstances.

When one of those bad days came and I was brought in front of an owner to face the music and here is what transpired. The owner was both hostile and irate, and rightly so. He let in to me in no uncertain terms. He really was close to being out of control and going over the line. When I felt he had vented enough I tried to calm him down and start to remedy the situation. He would have none of it and started to go off again and went so far as to tell me to remain quiet and just take my medicine. After a bit more time; I started to remedy the situation once more, only this time I was more forceful. I pulled out my cards and pointed to times and situations where I not only remedied problems but helped benefit the company more than anyone could have expected.

When he still objected and came down on me again I came out with this phase “Over the years I have earned the right to your business as these instances point out. I know there is a problem but I have earned the right to stand in front of you and try to make it good”. I did not back off. I was not disrespectful but I was firm.

Now I wish I could relate that all was bright and cheery after that but, he just glared at me and mumbled something and told me to get on it and fix it pronto. I did not see him for some time but due to the fact that I was not banished from the account I knew that he at least gave me another chance to straighten things out.

Now having facts to back my position up and uttering the phrase “I have earned the right to your business” I believed saved the day. This process would play out several more times in more accounts.

Thank you
Joe D'Ambra
www.basicsofsales.com
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