If you are concerned that you are not making as many sales as you could, and you want to do something about this then you have come to the right place. This guide will detail all of the steps you need to take to make your process more efficient, while also avoiding some of the top sales mistakes that so many people make.
When it comes to sales, it’s mostly the people who have a habit of talking about their product too much that end up missing out. If you are always harping your own horn then you probably won’t be able to learn about the problems that your prospect is facing. That doesn’t mean that you should be quiet and not push your services though. The right balance is ultimately specific to your organization.
Experts believe that if you listen 60% of the time and then talk 40% of the time. This is a good rule of thumb. Studies have shown time and time again that the top sales reps for an organization tend to speak around 57% of the time. Most of the time, you should also be focusing on asking intelligent questions. If you don’t know if your team is doing this or not then one thing you can do is try and monitor calls. When you do this, take note of the talk-to-listen ratio. This is a great way for you to get a solid benchmark for where you are working. Therefore, make sure you keep that in mind.
The last thing you want to do is give away too much information. When you talk too much, you may find that you end up saying things you don’t need to say. In turn, this can make your life more difficult. There is no harm at all in you providing solid information, but at the same time, you have to limit this somehow. Your prospects should be doing the hard work of trying to get the information they need out of you. Stay focused and try to reveal what is required, and how you can move your prospects to a sale.
It is good that you talk about all of the great features that your product has to offer. With that in mind, do you think that your prospect is interested? Probably not. Most customers are willing to do their research before they have a chat with a salesman. At least, they are somewhat aware of the features that you have to offer. Before you go ahead and pitch, it is helpful for you to focus on solving the problem your audience is having so you can then pitch a solution. Make sure that you are actively speaking about the benefits and not the features.
If you can do this, then you will soon find that it is easy to get the result you need. Using solid sales software can help a lot here too. If you’re in the automotive market, be sure to check out Auto Clout.
If your customer does see the value in your product then the price won’t matter as much. At least, it becomes the second most important criterion and not the first. Contrary, if you suspect that the price controls the narrative then you are probably mistaken. First of all, if you give too much of a discount on a product or if you give it away at a low price then this will only work to your advantage for a very short period. If your product has no value then even if you give it away for free, you probably won’t benefit anyone.
At the end of the day, if you have a lot to offer then people will probably buy it, even if it is at a high price. If possible, you need to drive the value proposition. If you can do this then you are bound to see a benefit overall.
If your only goal is to try and sell without thinking about the customer then you will end up making major mistakes. That brings about the question, what happens when you cannot deliver on the promises you have made? You will probably be seen as a liar. Or, worse, you may find that the reputation of your company ends up taking a beating. Make sure that you do not inflate or hide any information that could be about your product. Instead of offering promises that are not realistic to your company, underpromise and then over-deliver.
It means that when you do provide people with more than what they have asked for, you bolster your reputation. All while also beating expectations. This will generate positive word of mouth, which can work in your favor overall
A lot of the time, sales reps focus on the sales pitch over the actual sale. This is because they want to show off in front of others and they also want to showcase their oratory skills as well as their craftsmanship. Furthermore, this is a very bad move because you are not helping anyone, especially yourself. The important thing to remember about the sales process is that you have to convert the prospect into a customer.
Obviously, the sales presentation and the overall design will play a role but a lot of the time, it comes down to good old problem-solving. Additionally, you need to make it clear to the prospect that you are in the conversation to try and make a sale. You have to ask them to buy your product. At the end of the day you have a role to play. Thus, if you can remember this then you will benefit quite a lot going forward. Don’t let the distractions you have around you sway you from what’s important.
A lot of sales reps hate the word no. The first thing you need to do here is avoid being disheartened when someone says no directly to your face. Instead, use this as an opportunity. From a psychological perspective, the value of yes increases after someone has said no a certain number of times. You have to stay cool and you also need to show that you are open to any questions. Additionally, you need to understand the concerns that they have. You also need to answer the questions honestly while clearing any objections that they might have.
After this, if you know that your prospect is not convinced then it could be the right time to exit the sales process. The prospect probably isn’t in the right frame of mind to make a decision, or it may be that they are not quite ready for the buying stage yet. At the end of the day, sales objections happen, and they are bound to annoy you. With that in mind, you need to keep your calm and you need to address any doubts. If you can do this then you will soon find that it is very easy for you to get the result you want.
So as you can see, it’s more than possible for you to avoid these sales mistakes if you simply take the time to understand your customer. If you are having a hard time doing so then try and learn who your target audience is and how you can benefit them. Only by doing this, can you begin to get the result you are looking for so be mindful of that.
