Even seasoned veterans need to brush up on their sales techniques once in a while. Below are three of the more common mistakes salespeople make that prevent them from closing sales. Read through the list and make sure neither you nor someone you know has fallen into the habit of doing them.
1) Talking Too Much
Especially at the beginning of a relationship, many salespeople think that the more talking they do to inform the customer about products and services, the more likely they are to close a sale.
It should be just the opposite. Salespeople should be listening more than they should be talking. The sales process should be a conversation, so put your soapbox away, get out a pen and a pad of paper, and analyze how you can serve them best.
2) Believing They Can Sell Anything To Anybody
No one likes being told what to do. Children don’t like being told to do the dishes and customers don’t like being told to buy something.
Avoid going into a conversation thinking you’ll convince a customer to purchase a product with a snap of the fingers. The trick is helping customers discover the qualities and benefits of your product on their own so in their minds, they are the ones making the decisions—not you.
Expect resistance from customers. It’s natural. Don’t hurry them through their decision-making process.
3) Hoping The Customer Doesn’t Notice The Problem
Honesty isn’t just the best policy for life; it’s also the best policy in sales.
If an issue arises during the selling cycle, come clean and be upfront about it. Don’t keep putting duct tape over the leaks in the bottom of the boat because you’re afraid someone will notice your error. Do the hard thing and get the situation resolved correctly before a small problem turns into a big one and your ship starts sinking.
Your client will respect your honesty and may even collaborate with you to resolve the problem.
The hardest part about fixing these mistakes is recognizing that they’re there in the first place.
How do you keep your sales team sharp?
