The 7 Deadly Sins of Sales

After years of providing 1:1 sales coaching and riding shotgun on sales meetings Ian Stephens, the Sales & Mindset Mastery Guy, explores the ‘7 Deadly Sins’ that many salespeople make. The result – missed sales and commissions. ?

?Success leaves clues, as do mistakes. After more than two decades of one-on-one coaching sessions and riding shotgun on sales calls, it was easy to see a pattern forming. Time and time again, sales reps would make the same mistakes and sales opportunities walked out the door.

The 7 Deadly Sins of Sales are:

1. Missing rapport building opportunities
2. Assuming you know what the potential customer wants - versus uncovering their key needs, wants or desires
3. Habitually asking closed questions - instead of open-ended questions that get the customer talking
4. Talking twice as much as listening - versus listening more effectively
5. Talking to all the features of the product - instead of those that meet their needs
6. Failing to make people feel special and valued
7. Over promising and under-delivering (in respect to delivery times, if applicable)

If you’re doing three or more of these, perhaps it’s time to change your approach because these mistakes are costing you – big time – in terms of lost sales and missed commission, and they are potentially negatively impacting your brand within the team and the organisation as a whole.

Let’s explore each of these ‘sins’ and reconnect to the skills and behaviours you should be doing to maximize your sales and commissions.

1.?? Missing rapport building opportunities

As a rule, people buy from people they like and trust. Based on my observations, many salespeople fall into the trap of becoming ‘habitual’ about the sales process. I understand why – day in and day out you’re going through a similar process. It sometimes feels like “Groundhog Day” and this can result in missing basic rapport building opportunities. Notice everything and find things you have in common to talk about.

Acknowledge the ‘kid in the pram’ and use this to build rapport. If you’re not a good rapport builder, then I suggest two things – either hone and practice the vital skill of building strong rapport…. or get out of sales. It’s just that important.

2.?? Assuming you know what the potential customer wants - versus uncovering their key needs, wants or desires

This is a trap for seasoned players. The more experienced you are, the more you think you know what the customer needs. And 99% of the time, you’ll be right. But for heaven’s sake, let them tell you what they want before you jump to conclusions. At least make them feel like they have been listened to before you start telling them about your product or service. We love to buy, but we hate being sold to. The key is to get the potential customer talking about their needs, wants or pains, then take them to the right product that matches. And yes, you may need to educate and lead them to know what’s new and create a need they didn’t know they had.

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3.?? Habitually asking closed questions - instead of open-ended questions that get the customer talking

Any question which only gets you a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer is termed a closed question. Many salespeople are absolute ‘habitual masters' of asking closed questions and then they have the audacity to complain in the lunchroom about how closed some customers are when it comes to sharing information. The real issue is with the salesperson and their ingrained habit of asking closed questions. For example, “Is (insert feature) important to you?” will get you very little compared with, ‘When it comes to (insert feature), what is important to you?” Ask broader open or leading questions which create conversation.

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?4.?? Talking twice as much as listening - versus listening more effectively

We have two ears and only one mouth, so why don’t we use them in that proportion? Failing to listen effectively is the fastest way to snap rapport with a potential customer. You don’t like it when someone you’re talking to doesn’t listen, so why do it to other people? Get your ears on and listen to what they’re saying. Stop finishing people’s sentences for them and assuming you know what they are about to say. You might know but let them say it anyway. People like people who let them talk about themselves and their business. Listen twice as much as you speak and reap the benefits in increased rapport, sales, repeat buying and healthier commissions.

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5.?? Talking to all the features of the product - instead of those that meet their needs

Deadly Sin #5 is a byproduct of all that product training you constantly receive from your company. Your head is so full of features, you rattle them all off, instead of just referring to the main three or four which are a direct match to the needs, desires or pain points of the clients. Put yourself in the buyer’s shoes for a moment, and it feels like you’re being sold to. The alternative: ask good quality questions to discover their needs, focus on listening to what they say, then demonstrate you have understood by only talking about the products or services that address their needs or desires.

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6.???? Failing to make people feel special and valued

A universal human requirement is to ‘feel the love’. We want to feel significant and important. Many sales professionals operate from a place of ‘conscious unawareness’ and are going through the motions. As a result, they’re not making the potential customer feel special and unique. Price may be important, but survey after customer survey confirms that 80% of customers will pay between 10-15% more if they receive exceptional service.

7.???? Over promising and under-delivering

This sin will be applicable in respect to product availability, delivery or implementation times. In their efforts to make the sale, salespeople often find themselves over-promising, then under-delivering. High performing sales professionals do exactly the opposite… they under-promise then over-deliver. It’s a simple philosophy. If you think you can deliver on Thursday, say Friday. They’ll be delighted when they receive it on Thursday! If you think you can have the system up and running in 10 weeks, say 12. When they ‘go live’ in 10 weeks, they’ll be ecstatic! Expectations are exceeded and you have delighted your customer. Resist the temptation to over-inflate your organization’s capabilities. Give yourself and the team around you some breathing space. And never forget the first Golden Law of Customer Service…communicating bad news is better than no news!