Red Flags in Selling

How many times have you been on a sales call and known that something was wrong but lacked the sales courage to do anything about it? As a sales manager or leader, how often have you identified this problem with your salespeople?

Red flags in selling include:

• The decision maker isn't there.
• The prospect isn't giving you all the information; they are holding back.
• They have a problem they really don't need to fix.
• They aren't going to undo their current relationship.
• They don't have the money or resources to invest in fixing the problem.

The Cost of Ignoring Red Flags

Most salespeople ignore the red flag and hope that it will go away. Think about the short- and long-term consequences of ignoring the fact that your prospect has not yet decided to change their current, problematic situation.

Certainly, the problem for you as the salesperson is that by ignoring the fact that the prospect can't or won't change the relationship, you will end up doing a lot of work and putting money in someone else's pocket. This is not good for you or your company. It takes time away from prospects who are ready, willing, and able to change. It also takes time away from existing clients who need additional services from you—and from your family.

As a sales leader, your company ends up supporting a sales prospect that has zero return on investment because the salesperson is not courageous enough to address a particular red flag in the selling process.

Salespeople will often think or say, "I think they will buy from me. They really liked what I had to say and enjoyed the presentation." It is a sales leader's job to challenge that thinking with questions, get underneath the red flags, and determine what should be done differently.

There are many reasons salespeople shy away from red flags in selling. In the Objective Management Group sales evaluation, two common weaknesses among salespeople are fear of rejection and the need for approval. Both of these weaknesses can send a salesperson back to the office before they ask the tough questions—even while they are replaying the sales call in their heads and thinking about what they should have asked.

How to Address a Red Flag During a Sales Call

If salespeople are going to sell more and become more productive and effective in their sales efforts, they must first have the sales courage to call out a "Red Flag" when they see it, hear it, or sense it. Their gut usually tells them when something is amiss.

Salespeople must have the courage to speak up and say, "If you don't mind, there is something I'd like to address. Is that okay?"

Once you recognize the red flag and develop the courage to address it, you won't have to worry about what to say. The right words will come to you. Just remember to be assertive, not aggressive. Stay clinically detached, nurture your comments, and don't be afraid to walk away from the prospect if a mutual understanding and agreement cannot be reached.

4 Questions to Ask Yourself to Address Red Flags in Selling

1. What was a recent red flag you encountered in selling?
   Think of something you knew would take the sale sideways or compromise your ability to close the deal, but you ignored it, hoping you could find a way to handle it later—or that it would simply go away and resolve itself.

2. What did you want to say or do but back off from because you lacked the courage?

3. What can you do—and what must you do—about it now?
   What questions should you ask?

4. How will you handle similar situations in the future?

The next time you see, hear, or sense a red flag, do not ignore it and hope the situation improves. Pause, trust your instincts, and ask the question you may be afraid to ask. You might lose an opportunity that was never truly qualified, but you will protect your time, your pipeline, and your ability to focus on prospects who are ready, willing, and able to buy. That is not walking away from a sale. It is selling with courage.