No one likes to make mistakes. What’s to like? At best, they get you off track … at worst, they lose you the sale.
Mistakes can vary widely, ranging from company problems like faulty products or billing errors to errors made by the salesperson, such as giving incorrect information or overlooking an important decision-maker. Some mistakes are simply frustrating, others can be tough to manage, and some might even cost you a deal. However, no matter how skilled or lucky someone is, mistakes are bound to occur.
Regardless of the value you’ve provided to your customer in the past, it can quickly be overlooked if serious mistakes occur. Additionally, if these issues aren’t addressed properly or happen again, it’s common for the salesperson or their company to be seen as unreliable, unresponsive, or a risky choice.
There is no way to avoid mistakes completely, so learning how to handle them is critical to sales success. The bottom line for handling sales mistakes is when something goes wrong, take responsibility for it, and do it quickly.
By owning up, you’re telling the customer you acknowledge the mistake. You must also simultaneously convey that you are going to do something about making things right. While the customer still faces the problem, they now have an acknowledged partner working with them to solve it. Having this type of conversation in a compelling manner is a highly skilled interaction. It is not something one just picks up. It requires training and practice. Five tips for getting it right:
Analyze the mistake from the customer’s perspective. The first step is to get on the other side of the table. From your side, the mistake may not appear to be a big deal. You may have seen the mistake many times before. Not necessarily so for the customer. This impacts how you handle the mistake both in tone and in substance.
Act professionally. As you begin to tackle the mistake, start with your attitude. Customers should believe you understand that a mistake has occurred, you take it seriously, and you will handle it professionally.
Remember, bad news documents itself. It is rather uncanny that one has to go to great lengths to promote and publicize good news. On the other hand, bad news documents itself and does so quickly throughout the customer organization – think “wildfire.” So handling things immediately is a basic requirement. Second, check to determine if the fire has spread and if you need to take some additional action.
Explain how the mistake happened, but be thoughtful about your explanation. While people generally like to know why something happened, they don’t want to hear a saga involving a litany of accuses – especially when the storyline places blame everywhere but where it belongs.
Don’t forget, prevention is better than cure. When a mistake happens and customers give you the opportunity to rectify it, take the time to analyze how you will prevent it from reoccurring. Make sure you communicate to the customer what you will do in the future to minimize the risk of reoccurrence.
In many cases, executing these tips will provide a second chance with a customer. Customers understand the complex environments on both sides of the table, so you have a good shot at understanding if the mistake is handled skillfully.
By managing the mistake professionally, it’s also possible for you to win the customer’s respect. Best case, of course, is you impress the customer so much on how well you handle the mistake that it becomes a plus rather than a negative! The latter result requires skill, a bit of luck and a certain type of customer.