Alex Edson
Regular Contributor
When I ask a sale rep what the most difficult part of their job is, most say “getting prospects on the phone” or “closing”.
So, for today’s post about the 5 worst mistakes salespeople make, I’ve specifically centered it around these two core obstacles.
Enjoy!
#1): Over-talking.
Unfortunately, over-talking is one of the most common reasons salespeople fail to close deals.
The reason this is so unfortunate is because this mistake is so easily avoidable!
You have to recognize when it’s time to “stop selling”.
When your prospect says “ok, I’ll do it” or “yes”, say “Great!” and then pass the contract across the table and get the deal signed!
#2): Not listening.
“Listen with the intent to understand,
not the intent to reply.”— Stephen Covey
Have you ever noticed how the best salespeople are often the best listeners, too?
This is not a coincidence.
Only once your prospect feels that you truly understand their needs will they become your customer.
People desire to be listened to, not sold to.
In fact, I’d go as far to say that 80+% of selling is simply comprised of listening, not talking.
#3): Prospect Interruption.
Never interrupt your prospect (ever)!
Interrupting your prospect mid-sentence is one of the surest ways to lose a deal.
If you have something you want to say while your prospect is speaking, write it down.
Professional salespeople take notes when their prospects speak (both during sales calls and in-person meetings).
#4): Poor timing.
In a recent post, I shared the findings from a recent research study our team conducted which indicated that sending sales emails at “bad times” was the second leading cause of lost sales.
According to our data, sales outreaches delivered to recipients’ inboxes between 6 AM and 8 AM received the highest open-rates, whereas sales outreaches sent between 3 PM and 4 PM received the lowest open-rates.
We believe this is likely due to prospects being less busy in the earlier part of their day — which means they have fewer emails to sort through (increasing your odds of receiving a reply).
#5): Not thinking from the prospect’s perspective.
If you only take away one thing from this post, let it be this:
Think from the perspective of the other person.
Before you click “send” on your next sales outreach, go through this checklist:
#1: ☑ If I received this outreach, the subject line would spark my interest.
#2: ☑ If I received this outreach, I would respond.
#3: ☑ If I received this outreach, I would immediately know that this email was personalized for me (and not “copied and pasted”).
So, for today’s post about the 5 worst mistakes salespeople make, I’ve specifically centered it around these two core obstacles.
Enjoy!
#1): Over-talking.
Unfortunately, over-talking is one of the most common reasons salespeople fail to close deals.
The reason this is so unfortunate is because this mistake is so easily avoidable!
You have to recognize when it’s time to “stop selling”.
When your prospect says “ok, I’ll do it” or “yes”, say “Great!” and then pass the contract across the table and get the deal signed!
#2): Not listening.
“Listen with the intent to understand,
not the intent to reply.”— Stephen Covey
Have you ever noticed how the best salespeople are often the best listeners, too?
This is not a coincidence.
Only once your prospect feels that you truly understand their needs will they become your customer.
People desire to be listened to, not sold to.
In fact, I’d go as far to say that 80+% of selling is simply comprised of listening, not talking.
#3): Prospect Interruption.
Never interrupt your prospect (ever)!
Interrupting your prospect mid-sentence is one of the surest ways to lose a deal.
If you have something you want to say while your prospect is speaking, write it down.
Professional salespeople take notes when their prospects speak (both during sales calls and in-person meetings).
#4): Poor timing.
In a recent post, I shared the findings from a recent research study our team conducted which indicated that sending sales emails at “bad times” was the second leading cause of lost sales.
According to our data, sales outreaches delivered to recipients’ inboxes between 6 AM and 8 AM received the highest open-rates, whereas sales outreaches sent between 3 PM and 4 PM received the lowest open-rates.
We believe this is likely due to prospects being less busy in the earlier part of their day — which means they have fewer emails to sort through (increasing your odds of receiving a reply).
#5): Not thinking from the prospect’s perspective.
If you only take away one thing from this post, let it be this:
Think from the perspective of the other person.
Before you click “send” on your next sales outreach, go through this checklist:
#1: ☑ If I received this outreach, the subject line would spark my interest.
#2: ☑ If I received this outreach, I would respond.
#3: ☑ If I received this outreach, I would immediately know that this email was personalized for me (and not “copied and pasted”).
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