Business Challenges - Roll With The Punches!

Running a small business can sometimes feel like being in a boat that rocks from side to side in mountainous seas.  The Ebb and Flow of business can be generous with new opportunities to grow and profit, and at other times be a great disappointment that leaves you ‘stuck on a sand bank’ without anything to show for your efforts.
 
Irrespective of the business you run or the industry you operate in, the central premise is about actively engaging with customers, solving their problem with your product or service, delivering on expectations and after ticking those boxes securing the sale.

Some customer engagement can be more laborious than others, and especially when your ‘pitch’ is centred around a tender, quote, proposal, or demonstration, the task of securing the sale is a lot more challenging. 
 
Missing out on a business deal that you've quoted for and worked hard on can be disappointing and a little draining. There's no one in business who hasn't experienced that feeling.  Anyone who believes in their work and the value of their product or service invests a bit of emotion into each proposal.  That may sound over the top, but if you didn’t care there wouldn’t be any disappointment.  But, having said that, it's important to accept it as part of the ebb and flow of being in business and to learn from the experience.
 
You can’t tap into the customers mind and know exactly why they didn’t buy, and the buying decisions of some people don’t necessarily follow any line of logic.  But, you can often learn and benefit from each customer interaction, even when you lose the deal!  Review the process yourself or with a colleague.  Ask yourself critical questions about the product, the pricing, the benefits, the service and the overall engagement, and see what you did right and wrong.  Use that honest appraisal to revise your approach to selling and the method you engage with customers.
 
It’s very important to learn from your mistakes and hone your pitch so that in the longer term the 'Ebb' will become the 'Flow' and not vice versa.
 
Anthony Ferro
 
Present Professionally serves business customers in Toowoomba, Brisbane, and the Gold Coast Regions.  Follow Anthony at https://au.linkedin.com/in/anthonyferro1 and LIKE us on Facebook @ https://www.facebook.com/PresentProfessionallyAustralia/
 
 Written and Published by  www.presentprofessionally.com.au