Being a successful salesperson can be difficult, and it can be as much about what you don’t do as what you do. Avoiding these common sales mistakes is the best way to ensure success, so read them carefully to see if you do them as well.
Not Being Aggressive Enough
Being aggressive in sales can be a risky tactic that many are too afraid to use, but if you want to reach the top level of sales then you need to learn how to use aggression as a tool. While there is a limit to avoid you being pushy, being assertive as a salesperson will urge the customer forward and put them in the position that they feel they need to buy now. If done right it can also come across as confident and self-assured, which will make the customer trust your judgement and want to buy from you.
Not Using Marketing Material
Marketing and promotional materials are a brilliant tool to sales, but a shocking number of salespeople will not use them. Did you know that almost 80% of marketing goes unused by sales teams, meaning they waste time and effort on material that may already exist? This marketing material will give you and the customers the information you need and can be vital for closing the sale and giving the customer the confidence to make the final decision to buy. When they are ready made for customers there is no reason not to use them, and it will only be a waste if you don’t. Marketing and sales teams should use the resources they both have to work together.
Knowing Your Products
If you want to sell a product to someone, then you had better know every single detail about it. Knowing and understanding your product is vital to any sales pitch, as it will build up your confidence and mean you can talk more freely without worrying about being caught out. Also, if you were to make a mistake, or not have the answer to a question the customer asks, then that will basically lose you the sale right away. The customer won’t have the trust in you as a salesperson, and it will also decay the trust with the product itself.
Sales is fraught with potential slip-ups and common mistakes that will work against your favor, so it is important to know how to avoid them to be successful.