The Biggest Mistakes Salespeople Make
A professional salesperson is more than someone with a business card that says he is one. A true professional has learned, and practices the fundamentals of selling, like how to prospect, how to probe for information, and how to close, just to name a few.Professional salespeople don't make things hard on themselves, and they don't shoot themselves in the foot by making mistakes. Here is a list of some of the mistakes professional salespeople don't make.
MISTAKE NUMBER ONE: Complicate The Uncomplicated
There are two ways to see a prospect in their office: 1) make an appointment; 2) make a cold call.
Here's a trick question: Which do you think is the most productive, having an appointment, or making a cold call? If you said appointment, you are correct. If you chose cold call, I hope you have a thick skin and lots of time.
Having an appointment means your prospect has agreed to see you, and has set aside time for you. (It actually can be one of the steps of the qualifying process.) Appointments are very conducive to making successful sales calls, cold calls are not.
So if making an appointment is such a great idea, why don't more salespeople make them? I believe it's because they don't know how. Consequently, either they fail to get appointments when they try, they give up and just make cold calls, or worse, they don't get in front of the prospect at all - which is the end of their sales career.
I believe the number one reason salespeople fail to get an appointment when they try is because they COMPLICATE THE UNCOMPLICATED. When the prospect answers the phone, instead of simply selling the appointment, the salesperson starts pitching the product or service.
If you want an appointment, sell the appointment. PERIOD! Don't try to sell your product, your service, or anything else. Before you pick up the phone, know that you are going to close for the appointment, shut up, and get off the phone. Here's an example:
"Mr. Jones, this is Jim Blasingame, with ABC Products. I was wondering if you could set aside a few minutes for me next week. What does Tuesday look like for you? Or would Thursday be better?"
Don't make the mistake of COMPLICATING THE UNCOMPLICATED. CLOSE FOR THE APPOINTMENT! NOTHING ELSE! Give it a try. I think you will be surprised at how easy making appointments will become, and how much your sales volume will grow.
MISTAKE NUMBER TWO: Presume Too Much
One quick way to have a short sales career is to presume too much. The classic career ending presumption is that the prospect doesn't need anything you have. The primary reason this presumption occurs is due to something called The Fear of Rejection.
Fear Of Rejection can be very powerful, and professionally debilitating, but it can be conquered. How do you overcome The Fear of Rejection and stop presuming too much? By assuming what I call, THE ATTITUDE.
You assume THE ATTITUDE by asking yourself 4 questions and then answer them:
Question 1: Where am I right now?
Answer: I'm outside my prospect's office.
Question 2: Where do I want to be?
Answer: I want to be in that office.
Question 3: What's the worst thing that could happen to me if I go in there, or call for an appointment?
Answer: I will be told no, or be asked to leave.
Question 4: If this happens, where will I be?
Answer: I will be outside the prospect's office, or holding a phone with a dial tone. Which is exactly where I am right now.
Now here's THE ATTITUDE: Tell yourself, "If I go in there, or make this call to set up an appointment, the worst thing that will happen is that I will be exactly where I am right now. I can't lose."
Stop presuming too much and start assuming THE ATTITUDE. This works!!
MISTAKE NUMBER THREE: Unloading The Dump Truck
Companies spend lots of time and resources training their sales people about product knowledge, industry knowledge, delivery information, pricing, and on, and on. I call this LOADING THE DUMP TRUCK. Sometimes a salesperson's dump truck (head) can be filled with so much information that you can almost see it coming out of his ears.
So what does our salesperson do when he calls on his first prospect? What else? He unloads his dump truck right on top of the prospect, including the product of the month, and all of the other wonderful stuff he has learned. Never mind what the prospect needs, this salesperson can't wait to tell all he knows.
In Mistake #2, the salesperson presumed that the prospect didn't need anything he had. Now, miraculously, the same salesperson knows exactly what the prospect needs. Unfortunately, he was mistaken both times.
The best way to not unload your dump truck is to imagine that all the things you know about your business are like tools in a toolbox. Here's a question. When you have a project to do you don't use all the tools in your toolbox at once, do you? Of course not. You take out just the one tool you need at the appropriate time. Think of using what you know on a sales call the same way. When you identify a specific prospect's need, take out the appropriate tool and use it. Leave everything else where they belong until you need them.
Don't UNLOAD YOUR DUMP TRUCK. Remember, the key to success is information, and your prospect has your key. Let him unload his dump truck on you first. By the way, when the customer unloads on you, there's a check in there somewhere.
MISTAKE NUMBER FOUR: Failing To Sell Conceptually
It has been said that intelligent people talk about ideas, while small people talk about other people. An idea is a concept and as an intelligent salesperson, you must learn to sell conceptually.
Conceptual Selling is focusing your presentation, and your prospect's attention, on what your product or service will do for them, and how they will feel about owning it, rather than the colors, the options, the latest style, and ESPECIALLY NOT the price.
When you buy clothing, do you buy a piece of body covering, or do you buy "A LOOK"? When you buy a car do you buy a machine to transport you from place to place, or do you buy "A RIDE?"
Most of the time we view the things we own not by their function as much as the way we feel about them as the owner, and as we use them. The suit is a thing, but THE LOOK is a concept. The car is a thing, but THE RIDE is a concept. You buy concepts all the time. Your customers and prospects do, too. SELL THE CONCEPT.
Why do you need to be able to sell conceptually? What do you do when a prospect asks you how much your product costs before you're ready to deliver that information? Do you tell him? I sure hope not. Any salesperson who relies on being the price leader all the time is likely to have a very abbreviated sales career.
Selling conceptually is absolutely essential when you are trying to convince a prospect that they should spend more time with you, and that you have the solutions to his problems. FAILING TO SELL CONCEPTUALLY may be the biggest mistake of all.
MISTAKE NUMBER FIVE: Forgetting
Unfortunately, too many salespeople forget things.
• They forget to shut-up. What happens when you shut-up? You learn something, don't you?! Most salespeople would be surprised at how much more they could sell if they would just remember to shut-up.
• They forget that the purpose of the call is to solve the prospect's problem, and that only if the prospect's problems are identified and solved are the goals of the salesperson and his company accomplished.
• They forget why they are there, which is to sell something. So when the time comes, they forget to ask for the order. A sales call is not a visit; that's what you do with your grandmother. The purpose of a sales call is to try to close a sale, or at least close the prospect for the next step toward a sale like another appointment, a trial, a demonstration, a proposal, a tour of your office, etc.
• They forget to say thank you. I know, it's hard to believe, but it happens too often. It's essential to say....Thank you for your time. Thank you for your consideration. Thank you for your business.
Everyone is busy these days, including your prospects and customers. Since most things we have to sell today are commodities, prospects can get anything they want from any number of vendors. Always let your customers know that you appreciate their business.
DON'T FORGET! Remember why you're there, who you're serving, and who has the keys to your success.
Write this on a rock... If you want to be a successful salesperson, learn and practice the fundamentals of professional selling, and don't make these mistakes. Good luck and good selling.
