10 reasons why some salesmen fail to close successfully

Good many salesmen who have mastered most of the aspects of selling are unfortunately still poor when it comes to closing an clinching the deal. These salesmen can be aptly compared to foot bailers who take the ball right across the field, but hesitate to make a goal. They get unnerved to kick the ball in the goal post. Since, they do not ask for an order they do not get it. They miss the excellent opportunity. The reasons for failure are:

1. Lack of Training:

It is because of these salesmen have not trained themselves or they need training to (a) look for signs – facial expressions and those of speech (b) analyze significant questions such as delivery time, discount on bulk qualities and special concessions (c) analyze special requests, say a request for a few days for approval (d) ask and check questions that will give pointers to the customer’s thinking process.

2. Fear of Failure:

As sales efforts are planned on the lines of success orientation, the salesman is psychologically expecting that he is right and he will get desired end. When the things become to brass tacks and the prospect says “no not interested” or “Sorry I do not want”, the mental edifice that the salesman has build so far crumbles down like a caste of cards in the air. Such a negative answer need not hurt the feelings of a salesman. Tender these conditions of prohibited area there is not other alternative to close without any hatching.

3. Guilty of Sales Time:

Some salesmen fail to close successfully because of guilty feelings. Such persons are ashamed of their profession. They feel guilty about the work they are doing. They have a very strong, storage and wrong feeling that they are intruders begging for a living instead of helping the people to solve their serious buying problems. In fact, it is the wrong attitude entirely. It only means that such salesmen have failed to understand their noble and challenging persuasive profession. They badly need a change is their attitude and even the philosophy of life.

4. Depending on Spontaneous Reply:

There are some sales persons who belong to the school of thought that there is no need to push the prospect to buy. That is, deliberate persuasion or impelling is wrong. It is a sin. Though most of the prospects say ‘yes’ at the end of the presentation, they need a push. There is a natural inertia that blocks the way and to remove such deep rooted inertia, the salesman is to give the push some times, a big push. Salesman should realize their real role of creativity; educating the prospects and serving them so that the rupee spent by them buys the best in terms of satisfaction. If all salesmen leave the things to the natural course, they are responsible for underdevelopment, mounting unemployment and poverty and so on.

5. Presence of Misfits:

There is another category of salesmen who can be rightly called as ‘misfits’ or ‘inept’. These are ‘oddmen’ to be out. These are the persons who move up to the stage of overcoming rejections but never cross that level because of their inability. They are not confident of their ability to close. Such persons are confused and lost control over the sale-simply fighting for their foes. It is better that such people bid goodbye to the selling line or to improve upon to come to the category of fits. They refine themselves to uphold the high expectation of selling profession, which is thrilling, challenging and paying.

6. Interruptions:

Success in the final analysis is the outcome of three factors namely, good target, hard work towards reaching it and luck or smooth sailing. A salesman might have brought his sales-presentation to a successful close and even the prospect might have given buying signals and both are on the point of signing the order. At this very juncture a sudden interruption may occur say a friend or a relative enters or the prospect receives a phone call and something against the salesman may trans fire. The prospect might change his mind and withdraw.

Thus, there is a possibility of having a slip between the cup and the lips. The thing which has come to the salesman’s hand might not reach his mouth.

7. “Let Prospect decide Attitude”:

In many cases, the salesman himself decides on his own; that is, the prospect does not need that much quantity or that quality or merchandise; they go to the extent of encouraging them not to buy beyond certain limits. In the wake of such calculation, they do not ask the prospect to buy. Every salesman should remember that it is the prospect prerogative to make decision and the responsibility as to buy or not to buy and how much to buy? What to buy? When to buy? and the like. Never a shrewd salesman decides for the prospect. There are many customers who feel this and a kind of infiltration in his freedom of choice and decision-making. If he is hurt by this delicate issue, he would not hesitate to cancel the order.

8. Lack Luster Presentation:

Poor presentation must be one of the causes of salesman’s failure to close successfully. It means that the salesman has not worked hard and smart to develop a customer profile and a customer benefit plan. Poorly prepared and presented sales talk makes him to accept his defeat under his very nose and eye. There is dire need for proper planning, rehearsing and presenting. The position of a sales man is like an actor, a professor, a player, or an orator who has pre-planning, rehearsing and finally presenting it to the largest prospects. The role of planning and presenting is all the more important because it is a psychological play or an attempt.

9. A Possibility of Wrong Attitudes:

Attitude a state of mind makes a sea of difference between success and a failure in closing sales. In case a salesperson has faith in himself and confidence in his ability to persuade a prospect to buy he will have little difficulty in closing to sale. Self-confidence, courage and persistence are more than essential in closing than in dealing with any other problem of selling. However, many salesmen have preconceived fear of failure that the buyer will say ‘no’. A negative attitude fear must be replaced by a firm positive conviction of success.

10. Unwanted Excitement:

Excitement — a strong emotion or stimulation is fatal to successful closing. In majority of cases particularly when selling to an inexperienced buyer, it is better to maintain a cool and casual attitude to the extent possible. It is so because existence or appearance of excitement causes a failure to close successfully.

Hence, salesperson should approach the prospect in the most natural manner and give an impression that getting the commitment is a matter of his routine.

In a nutshell, salesman must consider sale as an assured event and therefore, exclude confidence right through the sales talk. There is no need to give an ultimatum to the customer.

However, there always a need to issue a direct or indirect invitation without fear of getting ‘no’ for an answer. In any case, a real salesman is never insulted by a refusal. He believes that customer has every right to say ‘no’, the same way as the salesman himself has when he is a customer. At any rate, he never gives up and he does not write off a customer just because he did not become a customer on a particular sales talk. Instead of breaking, his head he should become tough minded.