Dew: Help! I just got a call from my customer; he wants to cancel our contract. How do I recover? -Josh
Josh, that dreaded “buyers remorse” call is one of the worst calls to receive in your sales career. Usually when I get this question, it has more to do with sulking over the lost deal, not trying to re-sell it.
When your customer wants to cancel, the deal can often be saved. You just have to CREW them. CREW is one of the sales ninja techniques we use at Southwestern Consulting and it works phenomenally. So instead of sulking over a lost deal, spend 5 minutes on this technique and then call your client back and CREW them.
To CREW someone, use these 4 steps:
C – Calm them down: Use the Feel, Felt, Found technique here. Agree with them and let them vent; then move on.
R – Resell the product: There was a reason they meet with you and committed to the deal in the first place. Remind them of their pain and resell the product.
E – Explain the situation: Use this time to explain the situation. Because of the contract, it may not be possible for your customer to cancel.
W – Work out a way: Don’t lose a current customer or burn a bridge. If they still say no, it may be just a no for today. If you’ve done your job well, they’ll come back to you!
The cancelled sale can be one of the toughest things to recover from emotionally. I know how it is: you thought the sale was a done deal, you had already poured the champagne and (mentally) counted your commission!
I hear this story from my coaching clients all of the time. Many times, the cancelled deal came at the end of the month, causing them to miss their target. All too often, the salesperson allows this to put them into a funk, which then causes them to miss their targeted numbers for the rest of the quarter.
Here’s my Sales Power Tip:
I understand that not all deals can be salvaged and it does get us down, but what you have to be aware of is how long you let it get you down. Think about it: this lost sale already cost you time and income… are you going to allow it to impact your future income as well? If you are really having a hard time letting it go, give yourself a specific amount of time that you are going to sulk in the lost sale (and it better not be for the rest of the day or week!), and then stick to it. Moan, groan and be mad for an hour – then move on. Most often, you can fix your attitude by going for a run or by driving around looking at your favorite automobile lot, but the most effective way to get over a lost deal is to pick up the phone and dial. It looks like you have a prospect to replace in your bucket. And we all know that nothing feels better than the next YES.
Until next time – go sell some stuff!
Question: Have you ever rescued a deal you thought you were going to lose? What technique did you use? You can leave a comment by clicking here.
Got a sales, management or business question? Send it to [email protected] or submit it on my Facebook page and I’ll try to answer it in a future article.
