Sales is always evolving. What worked in sales ten years ago may not work today, and what works today may not work in 10 years. As a business owner, it’s important to stay up-to-date on the latest sales trends and strategies to future-proof your sales strategy. In this blog post, we will discuss some of the most common sales mistakes that you should avoid in 2022 and beyond!
Underestimating the discovery sales call: The discovery sales call is the most important sales call you will make. It’s your chance to learn about your prospect’s needs, pain points, and budget. Many salespeople underestimate the importance of this call and try to sell their product or service too early. This is a mistake that can cost you the deal.
Failing to understand the buyer’s journey: To be successful in sales, you must understand the buyer’s journey. This means understanding what stage of the journey your prospect is in and tailoring your sales pitch accordingly. If you don’t understand the buyer’s journey, you will likely miss opportunities to sell your product or service.
Not outsourcing your sales: Outsourcing your sales is a great way to scale your business. For many businesses, sales is something they don’t think of outsourcing. And as many good reasons you might have for this, there aren’t many that will convince us to take this point off this list. Building a sales team takes time, effort, and resources. And unless you have a great sales team that will be with you for the coming decade, it might be wise to consider outsourcing sales. Considering the turnover within most sales departments, it might be wise to outsource sales.
Not creating a sense of urgency: Many salespeople make the mistake of not creating a sense of urgency with their prospects. Urgency is important because it gets the prospect to take action now. If you can develop a sense of urgency, you will be more likely to close the deal.
Not embracing silence: Most sales persons hate silence. They feel this need to fill the void with something, no matter how illogical or ill-convinced the idea may be. But unlike popular belief, silence is an important part of the sales process. Silence puts pressure on the customer to make a decision and creates a sense of urgency. By embracing silence, you are not only showing your customers that you are ready when they are but also creating a sense of urgency to take that decision.
Not knowing the prospect’s decision criteria: What does your prospect need before purchasing? Do they consider the cost? Do they consider the features? This is also where your discovery sales call comes in handy. Knowing a prospect’s decision criteria can help you tailor your sales pitch toward fulfilling that criteria. The more you know about your customer’s decision criteria, the easier it is to sell your products.
Not knowing what you want from your prospect: Many salesmen perfect their value propositions. While it is important to know and understand what you can deliver to your customers, it’s equally essential to understand what you want from them. What is your ideal customer profile? What type of customers are you trying to attract? Knowing this will help you focus your sales efforts on the right kind of prospects.
Lack of follow-up: One of the most common mistakes salespeople make is failing to follow up with their prospects. Once you’ve contacted a prospect, it’s important to stay in touch and continue building the relationship. Failing to follow up is a surefire way to lose a sale.
Not asking direct questions: If you were to tell your prospect it would be great to meet on Monday, they could come up with a multitude of answers that you have no control over. On the other hand, if you were to ask them if they would be willing to meet you on Monday, they only have two options, Yes, or No. Asking questions narrow down the list of probable answers, and you also have a greater degree of control.
Closing people who can’t deliver: This is probably one of the most common mistakes salespeople make. They get so focused on closing the deal that they forget to check if the prospect can deliver on what they’re promising. This can lead to wasted time and effort chasing deals that will never close.
Relying too much on social proof: Social proof is when we see others doing something, we tend to do it ourselves. For example, if we see our friends using a certain product, we are more likely to use that product as well. While social proof can be a powerful tool, relying on it too much can backfire. If you’re constantly trying to get social proof from your prospects, you’ll come across as pushy and sales-y. This will only make it harder to close deals.
Not being able to handle objections: Another common mistake salespeople make is not being able to handle objections. Prospects will always have objections, whether it’s about price, features, or just general skepticism. If you’re not prepared to handle objections, you’ll quickly lose the sale. The key is to anticipate objections and plan how you’re going to address them.
Failing to negotiate: Many salespeople are afraid of negotiation because they think it will jeopardize the deal. But the truth is, if you’re not willing to negotiate, you’re leaving money on the table. When it comes to negotiation, there are two things you need to keep in mind; first, you need to know your BATNA (Best Alternative To a Negotiated Agreement), and second, you need to be prepared to walk away from the deal.
Sales mistakes are bound to happen. However, what separates top-performing salespeople from the rest is their ability to learn from those mistakes and take steps to ensure they don’t happen again. If you want to future-proof your sales strategy, you must avoid making the same sales mistakes repeatedly.
