Tip #3 in this series is “Follow up on the old leads that you have already worked, but have not closed yet.”  I apologize in advance to the true professional sales people that might be reading this.  As a previous Sales Manager and General Manager, I am going to put on those hats for a minute and be a bit tough on sales people.

Far too often professional estimators [a.k.a. sales persons] bid a job or project, and then simply move on to the next bid if they don’t close it on the first or second try.  There is a school of thought that says sales is simply a matter of numbers.  If your close ratio is 30% then you bid 10 jobs and you will average 3 sales out of those 10 bids.  Then it’s just simply the job to generate enough leads in order to meet sales goals based on a 30% close ratio.  That is one philosophy, but it is one to which I do not aspire to or condone. Nor do I think that that is the true mark of a professional sales person.  I also do not think that it is fair to the company or the potential client.  The company invests too much is generating leads to write off 70% of potential clients and call it OK.  The client also wants to think that a company will work for their business, and then appreciate it after it is awarded to the successful company.  That’s the difference between an “order taker” and a true sales professional.

Look at it another way.  If you were a professional sales person that derives their income solely from commission, why would you find it acceptable to get paid only for 30% of the work that you do.  If you can live with that, then  you don’t have the motivation I would be looking for in a sales person that would work for me.

Considering all this, this tip is really simple, and it will produce fruit for the sales person and the company.  It’s really as simple as these few steps.

• Work a lead until it is concluded one way or another (you get the sale or the client goes with somebody else or elects not to do anything, etc.)
• If you lose the bid, find out why you lost the bid.  Use it as an opportunity to do better the next time or find out how your competition spanked you.  Then make adjustments within your company.
• If you lose, tactfully find out if the client might have any other upcoming projects you can bid on, using the new information you gained from finding out why you lost the last one.
• If you lose, find out if they can refer you to anyone else that might use your products or services.

If you are bidding to a big company, continue to be persistent (within their boundaries). Many times sales people give up to soon, moving on to other clients that will produce immediate income for them.  That is a short-sighted position to take, giving up on a client relationship that in the long term would be a big part of a stable base for the commissioned sales person.  The truth is that every commissioned sales person needs a mixture of quick income-producing clients and the stable large client that will form the base of long term success for the sales person.

In summary, don’t underestimate continuing to work to jobs that you just haven’t closed yet.  Also, show persistence without being pushy.  That is the art of salesmanship.  Nobody ever said that sales is easy, but it is very rewarding when you manage to land that sale that you’ve worked diligently to get.

Allen Beck

AKOR Services