Deal Killing Sales Mistakes to Avoid at All Costs

Experienced or not, sales reps know better. For one reason or another, however, they still make the same deal killing sales mistakes, and they end up missing their targets, losing big deals, and frustrating buyers. If you learned nothing else in your solution selling training, make sure you are not guilty of the following deal killing sales mistakes:

1. Not adequately preparing.
   There is no valid excuse for not preparing for every sales call and client interaction. And we don’t mean just spending the five minutes in the lobby thinking through what you are going to say. We mean having the right sales call mindset and doing adequate research so you know what makes your prospect’s business tick well enough so that you can add compelling value and insight based upon what matters most to them.

   What are the key trends in their industry? Where do they fit in their marketplace? Who are their target customers? What sets them apart from their competition? What obstacles do they face as they plan future growth?

   And that’s just for starters. You should also know as much as you can about every individual in your sales meeting. What are their roles? What does success look like for them and for their teams? Who are the decision makers? Who are the power brokers? What keeps them up at night?

   While most companies face similar problems regardless of industry, buyers want to work with people who understand them, their market, and their customers. For those of you who watch Shark Tank, it is no different than when entrepreneurs walk into the Tank to pitch to Mark Cuban without having a clear grasp of their cost structure, growth plans, competitive landscape, or valuation.  Definitely one of the deal killing sales mistakes to avoid.

2. Not actively listening.
   Too many salespeople talk too much.  They get too wound up in their unique value proposition and what they plan to say.  So they end up “telling” more than “listening” and “asking.” Yet, there is no more important part of successfully selling solutions than first clearly defining the customer’s most pressing problems, goals, and needs.

   If you have done your homework, you have the background to ask intelligent, insightful and relevant sales questions. Try to get to the root cause of the issues your client needs resolved and the goals that they want to achieve. Keep in mind that customers do not always diagnose their problems accurately. They often rely upon you as their trusted advisor to help sort out what moves they need to make to get to where they want to go. The only way to clear away the fog is to really listen, dig deeper, ask good sales questions and listen again.

   If you have ever been in the market for a home, you can identify with this situation. One of our co-workers knew what they wanted.  In general, they wanted to downsize, live in a friendly and accessible neighborhood, move closer to family, recoup some of their investment, reduce ongoing maintenance needs, and move within the year. Their realtor failed, however, to fully understand or prioritize their needs. He kept showing them houses that were in their price range but too far from the rest of their family. He missed understanding that they were actually flexible on price and “neighborhood” as long as they were closer to their grandkids. They ended up switching realtors and finding the perfect house.

The Bottom Line

One time or another, we have all made deal killing sales mistakes.  When you make them, reflect upon what we could have done better and move on. But remember the two watchwords that will improve your chances of success: prepare and listen. 

To learn more about asking the right sales questions, download The 30 Effective Sales Questions that Matter Most