Losing is a part of life and business. Learning from it can be valuable.
You can’t win them all. You can’t convert each lead, proposal and meeting into a new client or customer.
The fact is we all lose and hear “no” on a fairly regular basis.
Losing is not fun. It can get you down, it can make you defensive. You may want to put it behind you as quickly as possible. Onward and upward, right? We don’t need that business, right?
Dwelling on defeat will not help, but understanding it better can be very useful. In the military, they have debriefings after military operations. In medicine, there are post-mortems. They discuss what happened and why and what they can learn from it.
If someone passes on your proposal, they’ll usually tell you why and give you some good insight that you can use on your next one. You just have to ask.
Part of getting good information is in how you ask. It’s important to keep your questions open-ended and positive:
- What would you change about our pricing, products or services?
- What are the most important factors in your decision-making process?
- What else are you trying to figure out and how can we help with ideas, resources or connections?
Follow up questions show that you care, and that you’re ready and willing to improve. They keep the conversation going for additional opportunities. They increase your chances for success next time.
Don’t just let proposals fade into the storage on your laptop. Use each one as an opportunity to learn more in order to win more.
Have a great week.
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