3 Tips for When Sales Teams Slump

When sales are slow, the same excuses arise again and again. Here's how to push back against them.

By Sydney Sladovnik

There aren't enough hours in the day. No one is answering the phone. The dog ate my homework.

Excuses abound when deadlines are tight. Life happens, and things come up. But in order to meet targets and goals, businesses have to find a way to persevere -- especially when it comes to sales.

Luckily, there are strategies that sales teams can follow to avoid common problems -- and eliminate excuses altogether. Three seasoned sales experts share their tried-and-true tactics.

Problem: Customers won't give an answer

Solution: Push for the no

As the CEO and co-founder of a laundry company, Ajay Prakash had to get creative about his customer acquisition approach for San Francisco-based Rinse. After all, competitors can easily say they've perfected the "art of doing laundry," too. Yet, he's steered what is traditionally a hyper-local service into a nationally scalable business venture -- one that's raised more than $23 million from investors. His counterintuitive sales philosophy has been key to that success.

Prakash says the biggest mistake salespeople can make is spending too much time on a lead that isn't going to close. "Most people are conflict-averse, so they aren't necessarily going to tell you 'no' directly," he says, noting that time spent with an unsure customer is ultimately the opportunity cost of someone who is more likely to buy.

That's why he suggests salespeople push for a "no" as an answer. He advises: "Convey a message to the lead that you are moving on from this conversation or that you are giving them a deadline.... If they have any interest, they will reply with some messaging to prevent you from walking away. If they don't, you just saved yourself a ton of time."

Problem: Clients don't respond

Instead: Put a face to the name

Clients do answer emails, argues Paola Doebel, senior vice president of Chicago-based Ensono IT Services. The content in emails simply needs to be meaningful. "Humans still need and want to interact," she says. Gleaning insights from her decade-plus in tech at companies like Dell and Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Doebel says that customers respond if they believe the message they've received is important or valuable to them. That means it's on the seller to craft the message as such.

How can they do that? With video communication. Doebel says that Ensono professionally shoots and edits videos that introduce the company's leaders and team members, which its sales team sends to the clients as they begin working together. With those videos -- which are not available to the general public -- the company expounds on its values and services. Doebel says that videos make their messages different and more impactful than if they were sent in plain writing. "We believe it is important for [clients] to know who we are and see our team and our leaders," she says.

While in-person interactions make that connection easier, the reality of sales work is that a majority of communication happens in writing or over email. Seeing a real person speak -- even if through a pre-shot video -- enhances human connection, Doebel adds.

Problem: Factors are out of your control

Solution: Focus on the controllable

As a sales leader with more than 20 years in technology and software, Natasha Engan has come across countless objections, reasons, and concerns that can impact a sale. Now a senior vice president of global sales at the Herdon, Virginia-based software company Deltek, she takes a glass-half-full mindset. When a deal goes awry, her first response is to focus on what she can control versus what she can't.

Controllables can be specific to individual contracts -- such as pricing or wording that can easily be tweaked. But in some instances, the solution isn't always quite so clear-cut. That's why Deltek fosters a "safe space" for its salespeople to discuss and troubleshoot their leads with one another. "Each team member can take control of their attitude and their work ethic, and contribute positively," she says.