The Three Key Barriers to Winning New Customers

Are we really too busy to make new sales?

The number one reason I hear for not focussing on winning new business is that people are too busy. Current customers and production must come first.

But if you had to have a meeting with an existing customer who was important to you then you would make time. You would find the two to three hours that you needed in your diary.

Why don’t we make the time for new sales activity?

I strongly believe that, for many people, there are some very different reasons for not selling than the fact that they are too busy. People may use being too busy as an excuse. Or they may simply not realize the real barriers. Let’s look at three of the most common barriers.

Many people are not good at saying no

I am well aware of this because I am one of those people! It is all too easy to say yes to a client or a colleague. But sometimes their request means that you will be prevented from spending time doing something more profitable. Should you really have a meeting with a client to discuss the artwork for a business card? Or should you spend that time trying to win some more worthwhile new business? Sometimes it is the right thing to say no to clients or colleagues.

Delegation can be a problem

Not all of us like asking others to do jobs on our behalf. Sometimes it can seem easier to do a job ourselves than to train people to do it. And it can be hard to find a colleague who will make time to help. But sometimes we might have to insist our colleagues step up to the mark. And it might be better to outsource some jobs rather than to try and do everything ourselves.

We all like to be in our comfort zones

But here’s the real crunch. Sometimes we don’t ant to do something that we are not comfortable with. Sales can often be at the top of the list of what is outside our comfort zone. And there’s a good reason for that.

Sales is often seen as a full-time and a difficult task

It doesn’t have to be like that. In my next article I’m going to outline how you can get going with sales in less than four hours a week. It’s coming out on January 9.

PS Find out more ideas on how to increase sales with today’s buyers: download my free e-book “Ten Common Print Selling Errors and What To Do About Them” here. You’ll also receive my regular “Views from the print buyer” bulletin, full of ideas on how to sell print effectively. Also, check out my book, "How To Succeed At Print Sales: Setting targets, planning the right activities and making sure goals are met."