You have worked hard to develop a high-quality and well-designed product or service, and now it’s time to reap the benefits, right? Unfortunately, the viability of your business relies heavily on your ability to sell. Developing the skills of your sales team becomes essential for your business’s continued success. Here are the six most common sales mistakes I see each day as I work to build the skills of sales professionals across the state.
Letting the Prospects Lead the Conversation
In order to control a sales interaction, the salesperson must feel comfortable taking the lead and guiding the conversation. The best way to keep a prospect engaged and find out the information you need is to ask questions. By asking strategic questions, the you will be able to learn whether the prospect is a good fit with the brand and whether the product or service can solve a specific problem for that specific individual or company.
Neglecting to Conduct Pre-Meeting Research
Without conducting significant research on a company prior to the first meeting, you won’t be able to provide solutions to the problems your prospects are facing. Instead, you spend the majority of the conversations learning the fundamentals of the company and wasting everyone’s time.
Talking Too Much
The key to a successful sales call is to listen. Many sales professionals spend much of the conversation talking about their product/service and its many benefits, but are unable to tailor a solution-driven message for the prospect. Your chances of closing the sales increase substantially when you listen to your prospects more than talking at them. Prospects will give you great insight into the challenges they face if you give them the chance to communicate it to you.
Offering Irrelevant Information
The worst thing a salesperson can do when pitching to a new prospect is waste the potential customer’s time. Information such as company history, other clients, or corporate culture may be interesting to you, but if it’s meaningless to everyone else in the room, you’ve already lost your sale. Remember, customers buy solutions, and a salesperson’s job is to show prospects how your product/service can solve their challenges.
Improvising the Pitch
Whether you’re presenting in front of a room full of prospects or conducting cold calls, you must be prepared. It’s essential to have all of your supporting facts and information ready, so that when the opportunity to pitch presents itself, you can take advantage of it like a true professional.
Failing To Ask For the Sale
You’ve done the research and you know that your product or service can fill a need for your prospects. You’ve listened to them, gotten to know them, and established trust. Now, it’s your obligation to ask them for a commitment.
Even the most seasoned sales professional can make mistakes from time to time. Sales skills and closing techniques must continually be developed and practiced throughout a sales professional’s career. Are you looking to brush up on your sales techniques? Explore how my sales effectiveness solutions can help!
About the Author
With more than three decades of experience in all facets of sales management, customer service, business growth, and staff coordination, Certified Business Coach Greg Emslie is a focused professional with the tools to help you grow and manage your business effectively.
Driven by his ability to implement proven business concepts and help improve teams, Greg affects all areas of the companies he works with, including sales, leadership, profitability, and decision-making. He focuses on improving efficiency and processes for his clients while helping them grow their revenue base.
Ready to begin finding other ways to make your company more productive? Let’s get the conversation started. Contact Greg Emslie for a business strategy discussion today!