Dear Colleague:
            Over the years, I have observed the mistakes of many salespeople.  Although the actual approaches may vary, there are many common pitfalls that trap them.  Among the most common are:

1. They talk instead of LISTEN.
   Too many salespeople monopolize the time they have in front of a prospect with their talk, only allowing the prospect to listen (whether or not it’s interesting).  For every hour they actually spend in font of a prospect, they spend five minutes selling their product of service and fifty-five minutes buying it back.  Result: no order, canceled order, or “Think it over”.  The 80-20 Rule (80% of your business comes from 20% of your clients) applies to selling also.  The goal should be to get the prospect to do 80% of the talking, allowing the salesperson to participate only 20% of the time.
2. They presume instead of ASKING QUESTIONS.
   Salespeople seem to have all the solutions.  In fact, most companies are no longer in the business of selling products, but instead are now in the business of providing solutions.  The only thing wrong with this is that too many salespeople try to tell the prospect the solution before they even understand the problem.  If salespeople were held accountable for their solutions, as doctors are for their prescriptions, then they would be forced to examine the problem thoroughly before proposing a cure at the risk of malpractice.  The salesperson must ask questions up front to insure a complete understanding of the prospect’s perspective.
3. They ANSWER UNASKED QUESTIONS.
   When a customer makes a statement such as “Your price is too high,” salespeople go automatically into a defensive mode.  Often they begin a speech on quality or value.  Sometimes they respond with a concession or a price reduction.  If a customer can get a discount by merely making a statement, then maybe he shouldn’t buy yet until he tries something more powerful to get even a better price.  “Your price is too high” is not a question!  It does not require an answer.
4. They fail to get the prospect to REVEAL BUDGET up front.
   How can the salesperson possibly propose a solution without knowing the prospect’s priority on a problem?  Knowing whether there is money planned for a project will help the salesperson to distinguish between the prospect who is ready to solve a problem and one who may not be serious about it.  The amount of money that the prospect sees investing to solve a problem will help to determine whether a solution is feasible, and if so, what approach will match the prospect’s ability to pay.
5. They make TOO MANY FOLLOW-UP CALLS when the sale actually dead.
   Whether it is a stubborn attitude to turn every prospect into a customer or ignorance of the fact that the sale is truly dead, too much time is spent on chasing accounts that don’t qualify for a product or service.  This should have been detected far earlier in the process.
6. They fail to get a COMMITMENT TO PURCHASE before doing a demonstration.
   Salespeople are too willing to jump at the opportunity to show their product or service.  They miss their true goal in making a sale and become educators, often to merely teach their prospects enough to help them buy from a competitor.
7. They chat about everything and AVOID STARTING the sale.
   Building rapport is necessary and desirable, but all too often the small talk doesn’t end and the sales doesn’t begin.  Unfortunately, the prospect usually recognizes this before the salesperson.  The result is that salesperson is back on the street wondering how he or she did with that prospect.
8. They prefer “Maybe” instead of getting to “NO”.
   Prospects are constantly ending the sales interview with the ever so prevalent “Think it over” line.  The salesperson accepts this indecision, and even sympathizes with the prospect.  It’s easier to bring back the message to a sales manager that the prospect may buy in the future, rather than saying this prospect is not a candidate for the product or service.  After all, wasn’t it the salesperson’s responsibility to go out and get the prospects to say “yes”?  Getting the prospect to say “no” can also produce feelings of personal rejection or failure.
9. They see themselves as BEGGARS instead of DOCTORS.
   Salespeople don’t view their time with a prospect as being spent conducting an interview to see if the prospect qualifies to do business with their company.  All too often a prospect really remains a suspect and never gets to the more qualified level of prospect, or customer.  Salespeople often find themselves hoping, wishing, and even begging for the opportunity to “just show their wares” and then maybe a sale will be made.  This is unlike the physician who examines the patient thoroughly before making a recommendation.  A doctor uses various instruments to conduct an examination of the patient.  The salesperson should view questions as the equivalent to the doctor’s instruments, and conduct his or her examination of the prospect.
10. They work without a SYSTEMATIC APPROACH to selling.
    Salespeople find themselves ad-libbing or “going with the flow” to make the sale. They allow the prospect to control the selling process.  Salespeople often leave the sales call without knowing where they are because they don’t know where they’ve been, and what is the next step necessary for them.  The need to follow a specific sequence and control the steps through this process is vital to the organized, professional salesperson’s success.

Cordially,

Steven Taback