What are 4 of the biggest mistakes sales people make?
These mistakes are much more common than most people realize. Yet with some thought, planning and conscious activity they can be turned into a huge advantage for you and drive business growth.
Mistake#1. Failing to qualify prospects.
These mistakes are much more common than most people realize. Yet with some thought, planning and conscious activity they can be turned into a huge advantage for you and drive business growth.
Mistake#1. Failing to qualify prospects.
Why you do it: you’re so
excited that the “customer” is willing to talk that you don’t want to
burst your bubble by discovering that they’re not really a customer.
The likely result: you’ll spend hours and maybe days developing an “opportunity” that will generate exactly zero revenue for your firm.
How to avoid it: in the very early stages of the sales cycle, ask questions that will reveal if the prospect really needs what you’ve got to offer and (more importantly) has the money to buy. Be prepared to walk away form opportunities that aren't a good fit or refer them to someone who can help.
Mistake#2. Failing to emphasize your unique selling proposition (USP) in all your conversations
Why you do it: your target market is poorly defined and therefore very diverse so your marketing messages are aimed at a big group and by default they become generic.
The likely result: you look like a me-too product or service, prospects won’t get what makes you different from your competitors so they’ll end up making buying decisions on…price.
How to avoid it: get clear about who your ideal target customer is then discover their greatest need/desire/frustration and make sure all your messages speak directly to how your solution will solve problems for them. You need to educate your prospects as to why you're unique and how this uniqueness benefits them.
Mistake#3. Failing to stay in touch
Why you do it: you’re busy, focused on managing existing opportunities and trying to find some new ones so if someone isn’t talking to you they probably get ignored.
The likely result: someone else will be taking the time to talk to your customers uncovering what their needs are and selling to them resulting in lost revenue for you.
How to avoid it: develop a system to stay in touch with your customers through email updates, useful reports or research, workshops or face to face interactions – always with the aim of giving them value, not just saying “hi” this will increase your sales and your referrals.
Mistake#4. Selling rather than helping
Why you do it: because you see the world from your perspective and right now you need to make sales so you focus on doing that as quickly as possible and try hard to get people to buy.
The likely result: prospects and customers will feel harassed and bullied and the intuitively sense the focus of your relationship is all about you – people are great at spotting ulterior motives.
How to avoid it: the aim of every interaction you have with customers should be about them so ask yourself “what are the challenges my customers have?” or “what are my customers major frustrations?” or “what could my customers do that would transform their business?” then help them to find solutions to those questions. Most people in sales want to position themselves as a trusted adviser or partner – to get there you need to start acting like one first.
Are you making any of these common mistakes? Once you’ve identified a problem it’s a lot easier to put in place a solution so follow some of the steps above and you’ll see immediate benefits.
The likely result: you’ll spend hours and maybe days developing an “opportunity” that will generate exactly zero revenue for your firm.
How to avoid it: in the very early stages of the sales cycle, ask questions that will reveal if the prospect really needs what you’ve got to offer and (more importantly) has the money to buy. Be prepared to walk away form opportunities that aren't a good fit or refer them to someone who can help.
Mistake#2. Failing to emphasize your unique selling proposition (USP) in all your conversations
Why you do it: your target market is poorly defined and therefore very diverse so your marketing messages are aimed at a big group and by default they become generic.
The likely result: you look like a me-too product or service, prospects won’t get what makes you different from your competitors so they’ll end up making buying decisions on…price.
How to avoid it: get clear about who your ideal target customer is then discover their greatest need/desire/frustration and make sure all your messages speak directly to how your solution will solve problems for them. You need to educate your prospects as to why you're unique and how this uniqueness benefits them.
Mistake#3. Failing to stay in touch
Why you do it: you’re busy, focused on managing existing opportunities and trying to find some new ones so if someone isn’t talking to you they probably get ignored.
The likely result: someone else will be taking the time to talk to your customers uncovering what their needs are and selling to them resulting in lost revenue for you.
How to avoid it: develop a system to stay in touch with your customers through email updates, useful reports or research, workshops or face to face interactions – always with the aim of giving them value, not just saying “hi” this will increase your sales and your referrals.
Mistake#4. Selling rather than helping
Why you do it: because you see the world from your perspective and right now you need to make sales so you focus on doing that as quickly as possible and try hard to get people to buy.
The likely result: prospects and customers will feel harassed and bullied and the intuitively sense the focus of your relationship is all about you – people are great at spotting ulterior motives.
How to avoid it: the aim of every interaction you have with customers should be about them so ask yourself “what are the challenges my customers have?” or “what are my customers major frustrations?” or “what could my customers do that would transform their business?” then help them to find solutions to those questions. Most people in sales want to position themselves as a trusted adviser or partner – to get there you need to start acting like one first.
Are you making any of these common mistakes? Once you’ve identified a problem it’s a lot easier to put in place a solution so follow some of the steps above and you’ll see immediate benefits.
For some information on how you could find a sales coach Tauranga click here.
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