Sales Tips - Common Sales Errors To Avoid

Sales Tips – Common Sales Errors to Avoid.

                    By  Peermuhammad  AmeerAli 

     Selling is a highly sensitive as much as a sensible function.  It requires a lot of common sense, professional expertise and empathetic skills.  If one follows the right steps, sales materialize as a matter of course, but if one treads the wrong path, not only does s/he lose the instant sales but also runs the risk of closing the door for future sales as well.  So in effective selling, the don’ts are as much important as, if not more important than, the do’s.  To post success on a continual basis in sales efforts, professional salesmen constantly endeavor to avoid the following common sales errors:

Not upgrading one’s sales skills on a continuous basis: 

A string of success tends to make some salesmen complacent and this will trip them in their future efforts.  In the competitive world of professional selling, constant upgradation of one’s selling prowess is not simply optional; it is mandatory.

Not being fully conversant with the details of the product or service one is selling: 

Every detail counts and the more the details one is conversant with and confident of , the more professional he appears to the customer.  At times, a seemingly insignificant fact could be appealing to the customer and it could tilt the sales in the salesman’s favor.

Improper and inadequate prospecting: 

Identifying the right customer and properly identifying his relevant needs is as important for sales success as is locating the goldmine for the gold miner.  During the upswing times, companies and salesmen tend to think that the flow of business will continue as a matter of routine, but this is not true.  Business collapse is imminent, sooner or later, if this point is ignored.  Continuous build-up and expansion of customer base is vital for long term business success.

Insufficient preparation before meeting any customer :

Unless the salesman researches in advance and finds out the buying needs and trends of the customer, he is more likely to fail than succeed with the customer.  This kind of in-depth customer study helps him understand the real needs of the customer so that he could effectively address it and net the sales.  Otherwise he is likely to be not objective in his approach, waste a lot of time in irrelevant presentation and ultimately turn off the customer, once for all.  He may not also be able to empathize effectively with the customer and strike a useful rapport with him or her.

Failure to effectively and objectively listen to the customer: 

Most customers are upset not so much by the poor quality of the product as by the poor quality of customer service provided by the salesmen.  Poor listening is the causative factor here.  Poor listening means poor respect for the customer and the customer will promptly reciprocate the gesture.  Every customer deserves due respect and only by proper listening can a salesman assure his customer of this respect.  It also helps him understand the latter’s needs better which alone can ensure a smooth sales.

Inability to handle objections effectively: 

This is the direct result of the salesman’s failure to update his product knowledge, customer knowledge and competitor knowledge.  If only he has sufficient insight into the strength of his product vis-à-vis that of the competitor, he can forcefully highlight what his company and its products offer which the competitor does not or cannot offer.  This will clinch the issue in his favor.

Too much talk – too little focus: 

Most salesmen tend to talk too much in their anxiety t cover all the points in their favor.  This is fraught with many risks.  It allows too little time for the customer to intercept to put across his viewpoint, which after all, is more relevant and important in terms of sales closure.  Again too much talk means too much details, some of which are definitely irrelevant which are likely more to confuse rather than convince the customer.

Measured talk with clear focus tends to bring in more positive results.

Taking the customer for granted: 

Simply because a customer walks into your showroom or gives you a patient hearing, it does not mean that he is interested in, or obliged to buy, your products.  It is only the salesman’s sincere and sustained efforts every time that could result in customer goodwill and ultimate sales.

Lack of sincerity in every transaction: 

At no point of time, can a salesman afford to be slack in his communication.  The moment he slips into vague and non-committal expressions, he is sure to invite rejection.  His sincerity of purpose will be acutely watched and constantly evaluated by the discerning customer.  The moment the customer starts doubting the salesman’s integrity, the sales is as good as written off.

Failure to build a long term relationship with the customers: 

Once a sales is successfully closed, it is not the end of it ; in fact, it is just the beginning of a long term fruitful association with the customer.  It entitles the salesman to ask for referrals and to lay the foundation for many more such future sales with the same customer.  Many salesmen do not realize this point and thereby lose heavy potential sales.

Failure to clarify customer’s doubts promptly and thereby build better customer confidence: 

A customer comes to the salesman not only with a buying plan but also with a lot of queries and doubts.  Unless the latter are properly addressed and clarified, it is unlikely that the customer will ever buy the product which is on his mind.  Many a salesman, in an undue haste to close the sale, tend to pay scant attention to the customer queries and this irks the customers leading to a loss of sales.

Lack of professionalism in the sales effort: 

Selling is steadily evolving into a science with much professionalism attached to it.  To ensure acceptance and approval by his customers, a salesman has to hone his professional selling skills on a continuous basis, using every sales endeavor as a fresh platform to learn something new in the art of sales which will add more teeth to his selling prowess. 

These are the major sales errors and there could be many more minor errors as well.  If only these serious errors could be avoided, then there is no reason why every sales effort should not bear fruit.