The 7 deadly sins of salespeople

Even the most experienced salespeople can make mistakes that have a negative effect on their reputation, pipeline and bottom line. In this blog post we explore the 7 sins of salespeople that could impact your sales targets:

1.- Talking too much and not listening

You won’t believe it but most prospects will tell you how to sell them. You only need to listen to them. As a salesperson, your job requires asking questions in order to uncover the problem that your prospect is facing and then provide the solution (your product/service). By talking too much, you are complicating the process and you’ll probably end up confusing your prospect.

On your next sales call, we recommend you to take a mental note of the keywords and phrases used by your prospect. When it's your turn to talk, incorporate these words and phrases.

2.- Not following up:

According to Salesforce it takes up to 8 contacts before generating a viable sales lead. However,44% of salespeople give up after one follow-up. Successful salespeople let their leads to get to know them and follow up their emails and conversations. Remember that people buy from people they know, like and trust.

3.- Selling the features, not the benefit

When selling, instead of listing the features of your product, tell your customers the benefit of using your product/service. Remember that people buy to fill a need or solve a problem. A good salesperson knows their product/service and how these features can benefit each customer.

4.- Making a sales, not a customer

The best sales people are not worried about closing a sale, they focus on building a relationship with a customer. When your main goal is to satisfy your customer’s needs, your company can count on the loyalty of a new client, one that will return with repeat orders.

5.- Lack of clarity

As a sales professional, it is very important to establish a plan to hit your sales target. Since most sales teams are measured on monthly, quarterly and annual goals, the main question is: How are you going to get there? Salespeople need to have a plan that incorporates their entire strategy around hitting their numbers and building a healthy pipeline.

6.- Attempting to close too soon

Attempting to close too soon will make you seem pushy and your customers will be less likely to buy from you.

7.- Not having a clear offer

If you’re not clear on what people will receive, they will be confused and therefore refuse to buy. You have to be clear on what is your offer, the way you will present and the benefits your prospect will get when using your product/service.

These are the most common mistakes that salespeople make during the sales process. Remember that the secret in selling remains in asking yourself how your product/service will improve your prospects’ life and from there start building a relationship where both parties can benefit.

References:

http://www.bizcoachinfo.com/archives/2880

http://www.sellingpower.com/content/article/?a=3913/the-five-deadly-sins-of-salespeople