Sales Reluctance In Any Part of Selling

You may ask yourself, “What does sales reluctance mean?”

Sales reluctance can be like wearing a straightjacket. You know it’s restricting your sales success, yet you don’t feel you have a way out.

There are many facets of sales reluctance. One for introverts is the marketing piece of networking. Networking reluctance can be due to the energy drain it puts on us, or a lack of confidence in presenting who we are and what we do, or knowing you have to follow up with who you meet.

Even extroverts sometimes find themselves struggling with pieces in the sales process after the connection is made.

If you find yourself “waiting for the right time,” or commenting you don’t think of yourself as a salesperson, or putting off follow-up in any fashion, then you know sales reluctance.

A man I recently met told me he wasn’t sleeping at night because he had proposals to deliver and was afraid to call and schedule the appointments. These prospects already contacted him, he made his assessment and it was his turn to help them understand his process and fees. He was reluctant.

Another woman was curious about her fear to return calls to prospects she had already given a demonstration. She said her fear about their response causes her to put the follow-up off.

Reluctance isn’t just first call or cold call reluctance. It’s also in the follow up, asking for a decision and even in asking questions. Anyone who sells likely at times has some reluctance along the way of helping someone to buy. I know I do.

There are two keys: figure out where in the sales process you wear your straightjacket, find a personal strategy that helps you move into action in the part of selling you avoid. Your sales will take off.