5 sales mistakes you need to avoid

We’re listing 5 common sales mistakes – so you can avoid making them.

1. Me, myself and I

Whether it be on the phone or face to face, we’ve all met a salesperson who can’t stop talking about themselves. The golden rule when it comes to sales is to listen first, talk later. Don’t be scared of those quiet moments!

2. Acting predictable

Predictable acting and falling into the “typical sales-talk” will probably not bring the prospect further in your sales cycle. Acting predictable will make the prospect feel that you don’t bring specific value to the table, and if you don’t bring value, they will not buy. You need to stand out to be recognized. Try taking a step your prospect did not expect from you but don’t lose control of the process.

3. Being starry-eyed

We’ve all trusted what a prospect says a bit too soon sometime. “Send me some more information to my email and I’ll have a look at it.” Nah, most of the time they will not even open the email if you send one and that means you’ll be stuck in an endless follow-up circle since the prospect “hasn’t had the time to have a look at it yet”. You should of course listen to the prospect and send them more information if that’s what they need, but before you do – you need to qualify this need a bit more. For example, make sure to ask what they want more information about (so you send relevant info) and schedule a call-back meeting where you and the prospect can talk about the information you’ve sent.

The prospect will imagine themselves being your customer.

4. Not presenting the “how to buy” process

Leading the prospect through the sales process is key. Presenting each step of the process of how to buy from you is important to make the customer feel confident enough to proceed. A great tip is to divide the buying process in steps and make clear which steps that are made by you and which ones that needs to be taken by the prospect. By presenting the buying process to your prospect – the prospect will imagine themselves being your customer. Now you and your prospect will have a timeline to fall back to during the process, everyone will know what to expect and when.

5. No clear goal

Even though the end-goal with each sales process is to sell, the end-goal with each action during the sales process is not to sign a contract. Is the goal to book a meeting or is the goal to get to know if the person you are meeting is the stake-holder? No matter what it is, make sure that the goal with each step in your sales process is clearly defined.  This will help you to stay on track. Use a sales script, write down a note, add the goal to the agenda – whatever you decide what fit’s best for the situation.