Make No Mistake The things you do--and don't do--could keep you from closing sales. Watch out for these 5 common mistakes, and learn how to avoid them.
By Barry Farber
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Everyone makes mistakes. Usually, these mistakes can be easilyrectified by small changes in work habits, time managementand--most important of all--attitude. The biggest mistake peoplemake when selling is lack of enthusiasm. Customers are drawn topassionate people--if you're not passionate about whatyou're selling, even the best skills will go to waste.
Luckily, there's always room for improvement. Though we allmake mistakes, we have the potential for improvement every day.Here are five common sales mistakes to watch out for:
1. Not making enough calls: Selling is a numbers game. Agreat attitude certainly opens up opportunities, but you also haveto call as many people as possible. It's simple math--the morepeople you call, the higher the number of positive responsesyou'll get. A higher activity level increases your ability toconnect with customers.
2. Not connecting with the right decision-makers: Youwon't close sales by calling on people who are not qualified tomake the deal. If a prospect has no authority to make a decision,you have to ask tough questions like, "Is there anybodybesides yourself who is involved in this decision that I shouldspeak with?" Don't be afraid to call from the top down;the big guns just might take your call and direct you to the personwho handles your type of product or service.
3. Not listening: Salespeople make this mistake manytimes--they're so busy thinking about what they're going tosay next, they forget to listen to what the prospect is tellingthem. In my November column, I talked about asking smart questions.It's not only asking questions that counts--it's alsogetting prospects to expand on their answers and learning from whatthey say. Don't get so excited about what you're sellingthat you talk too much and stop listening.
4. Time mismanagement: Not closing enough deals is atime-management issue. It's important to keep your goals insight, to be able to see the big picture, and to know where you arein every customer's sales cycle. It helps to have a visualreminder in front of you, perhaps a goal board or a diagram showingyou what you need to do every day and how much time should beallotted to each activity. This will help you know when you shouldbe closing. It's better to ask for the order early than not toask at all.
5. Not recovering quickly enough: Everyone experiencesrejections and setbacks. Deals that have been in the works formonths or even years fall through. A sale that seems like a surething turns out to be dead in the water. If you take this rejectionpersonally, it will diminish your enthusiasm and hinder you frommoving on to the next sale. The most successful salespeople areable to shake off their disappointment and keep right on going. Thereason most salespeople let rejection get to them goes back tomistake No. 1: They don't have enough activity to fall back onor other prospects to call. It's not failing or fallingthat's the problem--it's the inability to get back upagain. The secret to dealing with setbacks is finding the positiveafter a negative encounter. Let that "No" motivate you tofigure out a different approach so you'll get a"Yes."
