Sales Defense Should Not Be Offense

 "The best defense," you'll hear it said in many sports contexts, "is a good offense."

While that sounds good, and there are cases where it may be true, it's a risky strategy in sales.

Every sales professional knows what it feels like to be under attack when you might have lost control of the ball.

Maybe a customer calls to tell you a delivery date has been missed, and his confidence in your organization has taken a hit.

Your automatic response is to fight back, defend yourself, explain the screw-up and point out why your accuser is wrong.

Even if you're right, what will be the effect of your "good offense"?

My experience tells me this response will only make my customer feel attacked, further damaging an already vulnerable relationship.

But to adopt a "customer is always right" attitude can backfire, too.

In your understandable eagerness to please, you might find yourself making promises you can't keep or years of performing free consulting with no end in sight.

A better response is to fall back.

In sports, this might be compared to calling a time-out.

Instead of scrambling mindlessly in the vain hope of regaining the initiative and risking a foul, you accept the situation and make the best of it.

You accept full responsibility, even if you don't feel it's fair.

You tell your customer you know it wouldn't help to explain why you missed the delivery date and that they might even have decided never to do business with your company again.

But then ask if that is a fair statement.

It's a rare customer who will say they'll never work with you again, which means they are moving back in your direction.

Then they'll probably ask for an explanation, which will allow you to offer it.

This also provides the chance to explain the measures you've already taken to ensure the mistake is not repeated.

You can also ask what it would take for you to make things right.

Once you've gotten your answer, you've regained the initiative, and your "opponent" is no longer fired up to beat you.

In short, you're in control again and moving toward a solution.