Why deals are lost

This week, I presented at a conference in San Antonio for a national company. The sales people are consultants who work independently. Each consultant is basically acting as his or her own boss. During the presentation, as I talked about the Smart Zone, we discussed that people tend to leave bosses, not companies.

One of the sales people believed that my comments were not relevant to their sales force. He talked to me as I finished up selling all the inventory of books we had available at the event. "We don't have a boss. We are independent so your comments don't really apply to us." In a way, he is right if you believe the comment is only about the boss-employee relationship. While I value the feedback, I also disagree with the limitations of his interpretation.

How many of you have stopped shopping at a store because of the sales person? How many of us tell a negative story about a poor sales experience? Possibly ALL of us. We stop doing business with companies because of the person representing the company, not because of the company.

While this may seem obvious, the other side of the argument is we stay with companies because of the relationship more times than not. If you have heard me speak, you know about Jennifer at SuperTarget. She created an experience that made me a better customer with Target.

Whether you are in sales or you any other business, ask yourself, "Do people want to do business with me?" Even if your services cost more, if you create a good experience, people will continue to do business with you.

So thanks for the feedback this week in San Antonio. Next time, I will be sure to make the point a little clearer.