The dog ate my homework? Trust me, as a grizzled sales manager, I can tell you I have heard all of the excuses in the book. In fact, I probably came up with a few of my own back in the day. But the fact is, excuses only get in your own way.
For this month’s edition, I’m sharing the top seasonal excuses I’ve heard throughout my career so you can focus on finding the solution and set yourself up for success — this summer and beyond.
- Sales will be slow this summer, so why bother?
Summertime is prime time for vacations. The kids are out of school — and it’s just so darn hot! Why bother going for your goals? I’ve heard this excuse again and again. But guess what? The more people that have this mindset, the more opportunity there is for you to shine this summer. In a good way, of course. Pick up the phone, make the meeting and seal the deal while Tom, Kate and Bob are making excuses instead of sales.
- Fall is all about football and back-to-school season — not sales
New season, new reason to find an excuse. While autumn is busy with sporting and school events, you can use that to your advantage instead of creating blockers for yourself. Fill in the gaps while others are finding excuses. Trust me, sales can happen year-round — yes, even in the fall.
- Winter woes mean slow sales
Snow? Sleet? Rain? Forget it. Traveling is hard enough. Plus, everyone knows everything shuts down during the holidays, right? If you want to make the deal and earn your spot, you’ve got to put in the effort to get ahead. Just imagine how much you’ll stand out when you’re the only one who braved the winter weather to show up and make the sale.
- New year, same old excuse
Selling during the first of the year? Most people are still on vacation or hungover! Plus, companies are usually focused on managing internal issues and starting fresh — not dealing with sales vendors. This is an old classic. Instead of focusing on why you can’t sell, focus on why you can. Companies are ready to start fresh! Find your way in when everyone else is drinking leftover eggnog.
- Spring break is in full force — sales aren’t
Flowers are in full bloom and so are your excuses. No one wants to be cooped up in an office! In fact, everyone is just playing hooky, so there’s no one to sell to anyway. Your recycled excuses are only limiting your own potential.
- Summer? Here we go again.
If not now, then when? See how these silly excuses can get in your way all year? Don’t get caught in your own web of excuses — and if you hear your colleagues using these excuses, pay attention! While they’re busy creating reasons not to work, you’ll be climbing the ladder.
Creating excuses can be a natural reaction to stress or facing the unknown. But the best salespeople know when to stop and realize that deals get done every single day. Yes, we once sold a deal on Christmas day! Find your focus and prioritize prospecting.
If you have enough prospects in your pipeline that have problems you can solve, they won’t mind working with you when it’s hot or cold, or if the leaves are falling or flowers blooming. And yes, some will even be so fired up about getting your solution in place to ease their pain, that they will take a pause from Santa Claus to sign a contract!
Find a way to get what you want — and if you’re stumped, just ask for help! Maybe even from a grizzled old sales manager like me.
Questions? Email me at info@noobschool.org and we’ll answer them in a future article.
John Sterling is the Amazon bestselling author of “Sales for Noobs” and CEO of NOOB School, an online resource for new salespeople. Previously, John helped build and sell Datastream for more than $200 million. He has trained and hired hundreds of sales reps globally. Subscribe to his YouTube channel for new sales content every week. https://noobschool.org
