Seven Costly Sales Mistakes and How To Avoid Them

Below are 7 mistakes that could be costing you more sales, along with tips on how to easily avoid making these mistakes.

1. Arguing with your prospect and customer. Service and sales representatives often get stuck when faced with an objection, complaint or concern. The well-meaning rep may even show empathy and then continue using transitional words that lead into a controversy versus a conversation.   When faced with objections, complaints and concerns – remove words like but and however. Replace them with the word “and.” Sadly, even the most experienced reps don’t hear themselves using these simple words as we use them throughout the day.
2. Giving up (versus creating value). How discouraging is it to hear common objections such as “I want to think about it,” “I want to wait,” “I want to talk to… “, “I cannot afford it right now”, and other statements that diffuse you. Do not let these simple objections bury your hard efforts in the graveyard of dead sales. Utilize time tested transitional phrases designed to encourage two-way dialogue and smoke out the prospects blocking concern. For tips, see post on Managing Objections)
3. Not identifying clear next steps. Many sales situations are a process, some services and products are a long cycle.   Always end a meeting with a commitment and agreement to a next step. Even if it is the time and date for your next follow up meeting.
4. Not asking for a commitment. This goes back to Sales101! Many sales are lost because a sales rep did not ask for an order. Learn the various ways to ask for a decision, which statement that might work best for your situation, and your customers buying style. When all else fails, simply ask.
5. Boring your customer. In recent posts, speaking engagements and my book The Sales Messenger, I refer to the spoken word and one’s ability to convey a message in the buyer’s terms and communicate the value it brings to them. I am amazed how many PowerPoint presentations are guaranteed ways to tune out a prospect. Study how people learn and how to best communicate for understanding. You will find putting pictures into you PowerPoint are truly worth a thousand words.
6. Delaying the delivery of bad news. Simply said, you may not want to convey price increases, delay in delivery, and other things that may cause a customer to be upset.   Ignoring any problem always makes it worse. So breathe deep, practice out loud what you will say, and as Nike said “just do it.”
7. Not mastering your trade. Finally, Dan Pink backs the concept I teach and preach, which is, “Everyone Sells!” In his recent book To Sell Is Human, Pink funded a relevant study for those in the workplace that prove the point that most people have to sell people on something or as he says, “move them”.   Become a master of communication and you will find selling is not telling!  Study non-verbal communication so you can manage your body language and read your customers.

Good luck and Happy Selling!