Author says ‘no sale’ doesn’t mean failure

If you’re in sales, you know how difficult the client-vendor mating ritual can become.

A new book offers those in sales some counterintuitive advice: Don’t always consider a “no sale” a business failure.

Historically, those in sales were taught to engage a prospective client and then whine, wheedle and cajole incessantly until the sale was closed. But consultant John Thull says that approach is often a dead end when corporate budgets and time are tight.

Instead, many would be better advised to diagnose a client’s needs and problems and decide whether it would be better to bow out gracefully, leaving the door open for a future relationship.

Moreover, more than a third of all sales are “bad sales,” in which the customer is disappointed and the seller is saddled with high costs and diminishing returns, said Thull, author of “Mastering The Complex Sale: How To Compete And Win When The Stakes Are High.”

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