Forget blame to achieve goals
Let’s face it, obstacles frequently pop up preventing the ease of achieving what we are after. How those obstacles are handled, particularly in communication with others, will have a great influence on your outcome. Stressing only makes the unwanted situation worse. Instead, the better course is to acknowledge what just happened and consider multiple perspectives for how to fix it.
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Small annoyances as well as obstacles can get in the way of moving forward too. Just recently, trying to connect with another by phone produced difficulty. The line cut out several times. It appeared the problem was on the other person’s end. However, instead of assigning blame, once we did finally connect, I simply said, “I’m glad we finally connected.” I have heard others angrily asking, “What’s wrong with your phone?!”
Which response would you rather receive?
The golden rule, applied to the sales process, always works best. When frustration or even anger appears, step back to figure out the “why”, acknowledge it, and move forward with the best route for you and all concerned. Sometimes we need to accept blame that isn’t entirely ours in order to move forward.
Consider:
Which is more painful – being right and losing the sale, or accepting the blame and winning the sale?
Experience has shown to brush the small annoyances aside. When the bigger issues occur, have a heart to heart conversation of how each party involved sees resolving the issue. Be honest about what you will and will not accept. Should it come to the request being out of line, firmly state you can’t do that but do reveal what you are able to achieve. Ask for agreement on the “can do”. Once you have the agreement, you will be headed for the sale.
Hiring managers and clientele prefer working with problem solvers because they know every day is not perfect. So when you model the team approach, the care included in your work, and perseverance to succeed, you will be far more likely to experience hearing either HIRED! or SOLD! and enjoy the Smooth Sale!
Read Addtional Strategies and Techniques:
Nice Girls DO Get the Sale: Relationship Building That Gets Results, Sourcebooks
HIRED! How to Use Sales Techniques to Sell Yourself On Interviews, Career Press
