In this note we are going to comment on the most common mistakes in sales , those that are habitually committed by independent professionals and people dedicated to sales.
We recently talked about how to make selling easier using a script .
That way you have a guide to make sure you cover all the essential areas of the sales process.
Some of these bugs are probably familiar to you, some you’ll already be working on trying to fix, and some you might not even consider to be bugs.
But any of them can drastically reduce the effectiveness of your sales. If you correct them you can increase your success rate.
7 Most Common Sales Mistakes
1. Not Opening The Sales Conversation With A Stated Purpose
You need to make it very clear upfront what the purpose and expectations of the conversation are. If you don’t, you can’t set the tone and direction for the conversation.
Example: “David, the goal of this meeting is to learn a little more about your situation, your objectives, and the challenges that your business (or area of your life) presents. At the end, if I feel that I can help you, I will explain the methodology that I use with my clients to produce results in that area. It looks good?”
2. The Salesperson’s Disease: Talking Too Much.
The sale is ¾ listen and ¼ talk , maybe 2/3 and 1/3 at the most. Don’t fall in love with the sound of your voice. Know in advance what you have to say and say it. No hype or false promises.
Here it helps a lot to have a script . Three quarters of it is questions and getting the prospect to talk. But some are so infected with the plague that they have a hard time realizing that they talk too much.
Ask your client for permission to record a conversation , this way you can check how much you talk and how much you listen.
3. Not Developing Stories
You don’t want everything you say to be conceptual. Tell stories about clients you’ve worked with who have experienced the same problems as your potential client.
Stories are effective because they are emotional. Raw data conveys little emotion . So include the data in your stories.
For example: “I had a client who couldn’t break the $50,000 income barrier. She worked long hours and got to try lots of things but nothing worked, but when I explained to her how to raise her prices and increase her sales ratio, her income jumped to $150,000 in less than a year.”
4. Proceed In “Seller Mode”
This beats talking too much; “salesman mode” resorts to hyperbole, exaggeration, and even confrontation. The salesperson doesn’t listen and the pressure is amplified to uncomfortable levels.
Unfortunately, this stereotyped behavior is what some believe is necessary to sell. The truth is that this behavior is a turn off and hinders (if not completely stops) any possibility of word-of-mouth.
It is necessary to lower the tone and listen more.
5. Proceed In “Passive Mode”
This is the opposite of the previous point and just as ineffective as the . In order to show that you are not a pushy salesperson, you avoid any show of enthusiasm and present your services in a boring way.
You might be thinking, “I don’t want this prospect to think I’m cheating them, after all, I’m a pro!” We have to find a middle ground, where we talk about our services with natural enthusiasm, ask probing questions, and see if our professional services can really help this person.
6. Not Being Able To Handle Objections
All sales training teaches us how to handle objections. But advanced training shows us how to deal with possible objections before they become problems (often unspoken) that end up sinking the sale.
For example , if your coaching services require a lot of work from the client, you shouldn’t hide it. If you do, later on, it’s going to come up as an objection. Instead of hiding it, face it squarely. Example: “If you agree to work with me, you should know that you are going to have to do most of the implementation, and that means a lot of work. Are you okay with that?”
7. Turn The Closure Into A Confrontation
Closing simply means asking a question about what the prospect wants. So you can ask, “Can you imagine being successful with your teams by using my TeamExcel program?” This lets you know if they are interested or not.
This is different from asking, “Well, would you like to go ahead with my TeamExcel program?” You see the difference?
In the first case , the intention is to verify the agreement and incidentally leave the door open for further conversation, while the second option is more like an ultimatum , which can be uncomfortable.
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