18 ways to guarantee that you’ll lose the sale

 /
/

It happens so frequently, it almost seems as if someone is out there training salespeople to fail.
But just in case you have not been trained to fail, here is a checklist of 18 behaviors that contribute to losing sales instead of closing them:
• Do not bother qualifying prospects. This only takes valuable time away from trying to find someone to talk to. Doing research only holds you back. By not qualifying prospects, you can be sure your closing rate will be very low.
• When making an appointment by phone, start by talking about what you are selling. It doesn’t make any difference that the person you are calling does not have any idea who you are or the company you represent or why you are making the call. Just charge ahead. This will be almost 100 percent successful in getting the prospect to hang up.
• Do not waste time and money cultivating prospects. If they are not smart enough to figure out the value your solutions can bring them or how your knowledge and experience can benefit them, do not try to share your ideas and expertise with them.
• Never waste time asking questions. Use every minute to do as much talking as you can. Trying to get the prospect involved in the conversation is counterproductive. Do, however, ask, “What do you think?” after giving them your presentation.
• Be sure to drop the names of other clients. Let them know you are a real operator, and make them feel like they are small potatoes. It impresses customers.
• Never listen to what the prospect is saying. You are there to make a sale, so do not be distracted when the customer starts talking about his issues or problems.
• Always assume that the customer is looking for the lowest price. Have at least a three-tiered pricing schedule in your briefcase. This way you will be ready to lower the price each time you call back after the customer tells you your price is too high. It is a system that is certain to create customer confidence.
• Do not bother trying to figure out a prospect’s problems. The effort only will deflect attention from your presentation.
• Forget about small accounts. Put all your time and effort in going after the big ones. Small ones are too much bother and it is not a good use of your time servicing them.
• Push for a meeting, whether or not the prospect knows you, what you do or why you want to meet. With face time, you are confident you will get the order. So never ask prospects how they like to work with a salesperson or what they would like from you.
• Throw in the right words. Pepper your presentation with terms such as value, 24/7, transparent, ROI, benchmark, throw a curve, strategize, robust, seamless, drill down, core values, partnering and corporate culture. That is all it takes. Do not worry about explaining what the terms mean. Using the jargon will send the message that you are “cool.”
• Focus on the low-hanging fruit. Even though you know you are a great salesperson, look only for the easy sales by pushing price to get the order. Sure, the customer will probably leave when a pushy competitor comes along, but that’s just the way it goes.
• Do not bother keeping good records. Always make it known that you are a salesperson and that good salespeople are not good at details. You are the hunter out in the bush bringing home the orders that feed the business. You cannot be bothered with paperwork or updating the sales reporting system.
• Do not waste valuable selling time following up after making the sale. Follow-up is for customer service. Keep going forward; do not let yourself look back. How can you be expected to meet your quota if you are servicing accounts? Anyway, once you have the commission, what do you care? If the customers need something, they will call the office.
• Never bother to find out about a prospect’s business. Those salespeople who do so are only using the conversation as a method to keep the patter going. That’s what makes you a great salesperson.
• If prospects do not buy, do not bother with them. Never to go back to prospects if they do not buy after you have “given the right amount of attention.” Move on to the next one.
• Stay focused on making the sale and ignore the prospect’s buying process, although it doesn’t hurt to present yourself as a “consultative salesperson,” someone who wants to understand how the customer thinks. But remember, actually getting on the customer’s “wavelength” is for inexperienced salespeople, not pros.
• Never prepare or rehearse a presentation. You have been selling for years, so you know how to handle every situation. Just get the appointment and play it by ear. Preparation and rehearsing are for amateurs, the new people in sales. Don’t give a thought to the fact that Tiger Woods never stops practicing.
There are many other ways to lose a sale, but these 18 are a reminder that it’s so easy for us to con ourselves into believing that selling is different from every other job in business. Once you “have it down,” there’s no need to perfect your skills, gain new insights or expand your knowledge. Whatever else this is, it’s the formula for losing a sale.

John R. Graham is president of Graham Communications, a marketing and sales consulting firm. He can be reached at j_graham@grahamcomm.com.

No posts to display