The Ten Worst Mistakes Salespeople Make

Gary and Jennifer both sales reps, walked into Daisy's Café to grab a quick bite of lunch. It had been a busy morning for both and they were famished. Gary had been selling for more than a decade and was one of the top performers at the company. Jennifer had been selling for less than a year, but she was smart and dedicated.

Gary scanned the busy restaurant. The tables were filled. He spotted a dark-haired man sitting alone. "That's Rick Masters. Do you know him? He's another one of the heavy hitters at our company." Jennifer shook her head and said "No, I haven't met him yet." "You can learn a lot from Rick. Let's see if he'll let us join him." Gary led the way.

Rick looked up as they approached. He greeted them. Gary introduced Jennifer and asked if they could share the table. "Sure, but I can't promise I'll be good company today," Rick said. After they were seated, Gary said, "Having a rough day?" Rick sighed. "Just this morning I learned I lost a big account. "I wish I could blame the plant or pricing, but this loss is my fault. Worse than that, it was a significant chunk of business and I don't have anything in the pipeline to replace it." Rick looked at Jennifer. "Over the past year, I made some big mistakes. You're just starting out, so maybe you'll be able to avoid them if I share them with you."

Mistake Number 1:

You assume long-time customers are loyal. Evidence in this area confirms the 80/20 rule. Eighty percent of all customers are satisfied and only twenty percent are loyal. Satisfied customers like you, but they don't love you and they will shop. Loyal customers may love you, but they don't always remain loyal forever. Start asking yourself three questions.

1. Who is loyal and who is satisfied?

2. What can I do to convert satisfied customers into loyal ones?

3. How can I reward loyalty so customers stay loyal?

Mistake Number 2:

You overestimate the value of the service you provide. All humans have the same bias. We think we're better than we really are and that leads us to overestimate the value of the service we provide. Sure, you turned a complicated estimate around in a day, made the job look great on press and got the hot job out on time. Be honest. Would your competitors have done any less? Sometimes the answer is "yes" but often enough what you regard as a brilliant performance simply met the customer's expectations. The bar for "Wow!" constantly gets raised. Don't underestimate the competition. There's a good chance they work just as hard as you do.

Mistake Number 3:

You're too darn difficult to deal with. What about you? Are you easy to work with? Do customers laud you for your quick response to phone calls and emails? Do you anticipate needs and fulfill them before you're asked? Print buyers are busy people. They don't have time to chase down answers or check to make sure you do your job. If you're hard to deal with and use up too much valuable time, they'll fire you and find another salesperson like my friend did.

Mistake Number 4:

You fail to communicate bad news at the right time in the right way. No one likes to deliver bad news but if you delay it often makes the situation worse. It's important to deliver bad news the right way. If you screwed up, admit it and apologize. If there is a legitimate reason for the problem, explain but remember the line separating reasons from excuses is thin. When you call to talk about problems, be prepared to talk about solutions. Customers forgive mistakes. What they won't forgive is dishonesty, deception and delay.

Mistake Number 5:

You allow customers to make dumb mistakes. "I buy from vendors who watch my back," a buyer once told me. No one wants to make mistakes or look stupid. Making big expensive mistakes can get a buyer or purchasing agent fired. It's your job to prevent customers from making them. Ask more questions. Insure buyers fully understand processes and delivery schedules. Point out potential problems and discuss them. Stopping customers from screwing up is a big value-add, so be sure you include it with every order.

Mistake Number 6:

You're overly dependent on one relationship inside an account. The buyer loves you. Does their boss have a clue you exist? All too often, the answer is no. We live in a world where companies get reorganized, departments get downsized, and people get reassigned. Find ways to connect with more people within the organization. Get to know the buyer's boss. Someone takes over when the buyer goes on vacation. Be a friendly face and get to know them, too. Don't make the mistake of depending on the strength of a single connection. Build a network and sleep better at night.

Mistake Number 7:

You assume the customer thinks they're getting a great price. Why do customers buy from you? Value or habit? If it's habit, be warned. Just because price isn't questioned doesn't mean the customer sees your value. What if one day your customer walks into their office, looks at your quote with fresh eyes and say, "Holy $&@%! This is way too expensive!" Somewhere right now, a buyer is thinking that exact thought which is why smart salespeople have closing conversations. It's a perfect opportunity to reinforce value and convince buyers your price is worth every penny.

Mistake Number 8:

You spend every moment servicing customers when you should be selling them. Servicing and selling are two different tasks. Servicing focuses on current projects while selling looks for future business. What questions do you ask when you're servicing an account? What questions do you ask prospects to get new business? They're different, right? At least once a month, plan a sales call and talk to current customers. Learn about new sources of pain. Discuss goals. Don't make the mistake of thinking that servicing and selling are synonyms because they're not.

Mistake Number 9:

You wait until you lose one account to start looking for another. Over the years I won accounts and lost them. Early in my career, one big loss blind-sided me and taught me this painful lesson. If a client is worth $10,000 in yearly billings, you may be able to replace them quickly. If they're worth $100,000 or more, it takes longer. The "I'm too busy to sell" mentality is pervasive. Allowing that thought pattern to take root in your mind is a mistake to fix today.

Mistake Number 10:

You engage in too little new business activity. How many prospects do you talk to every week? For all too many salespeople in all too many weeks the answer is a big fat zero. Are they really that busy? Or because they're successful, have they allowed selling--the job they were hired to do--to take a back seat to servicing? To be good at prospecting, to cold call and get people to talk to you on the phone, you must practice. Otherwise when the bottom falls out and you're scrambling for new work, your skills are rusty and it's tougher to convince prospects to buy. Be proactive about seeking new business and succeed no matter what fate throws your way.

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