Many of us believe the 1980 cult classic, “Used Cars”, starring some of the most iconic actors of that era — Kurt Russell, Jack Warden, Frank McRae, Michael McKean, and Al Lewis — was snubbed of so many Oscars. But that’s not the purpose of my rant. Too often, people fall into the trap believing that movies are nonfiction. In this case, it’s Hollywood poking fun and exaggerating a circumstance to a degree beyond what most could dream up.?
Even though the?sales profession may not always have a stellar reputation due to a few bad apples in the barrel, it’s still very noble, worthy, and the most needed profession.?Every single one of us is in sales – we’re all selling something to someone. Sales is a transfer of feelings. We’re all working to get someone to gravitate toward our beliefs. A short yet not inclusive list of those you know who do it daily: teachers, politicians, religious leaders, lawyers, pundits, newscasters, and parents.
The key to fixing the problem of poor perception in sales is to recognize?it and then change the behavior. [Of course, this is true in life, but let’s stay focused on the topic.] If you have developed a bad habit, you can change it.?In sales, that can be the difference you’re looking for to get to the next level.
Here are six bad sales habits all sales reps need to constantly work at getting better at. Face it, eliminating them is just way too hard…we are all human…
- Opening with?puking?about your company. Time to be honest about it, nobody cares. Being in business for a million years really doesn’t close the sale. Refreshing startups take business from the ancient stalwarts every day.?Focus on what’s important to your?prospects. You need to share ideas on how you’ll bring solutions to your prospects that will solve their problems in ways nobody else can. Likely, you’ll have thoughts on this ahead of time, but you need to be certain and the only way to really know is to probe. Go ahead and sprinkle in your resume throughout. Just know that talking of the past isn’t going to resonate as well as talking about the future…it’s that “what have you done for me lately” / “I want it all now” world we live in mentality. ?
- Pitching too soon. Sales reps often pitch too fast, pitch the wrong solutions, or fail to?effectively position their solutions because they haven’t taken the time to understand?their prospects. A need must exist, and a problem must be solvable. We get to this by asking questions and taking control of the conversation to the point of finding out what’s relevant. If there’s no need, so be it. I know you know this, but do you really have a methodology of doing more than an analytical study of their business, one that gets to the psychological reasons for wanting to move? Know that prospects will buy based on emotion and later justify based on logic.
- Failing to listen. Most sales reps don’t listen to their prospects and?fail to hit the key issues their prospects have stated are important to?them. Further, don’t just listen but hear what’s being said. And please remember that you don’t prepare to answer when they’re talking. Instead, get into the conversation with them as you might just be surprised by what you’ll glean from it. With the onset of video meetings, so many have learned that video versus audio has allowed them to better connect with prospects. It’s a learned skill that less experienced (read: younger) sales reps need to figure out.?
- Delivering a generic presentation. The objective of a sales presentation is to?demonstrate why your prospect should buy your offering through education.?Unfortunately, very few?sales peeeps?craft presentations specific to their prospects. Instead, they use the same information and approaches regardless of the prospect. Yeah, I get it. You can change the first slide by adding their name, logo, and today’s date to make it look unique. That’s not my point. I’m not so much referencing the visuals as I am the language and the attention grabbers. With all that goes through our minds, with the gazillion to-do’s at home and the office, why should a prospect give you some of their mind’s shelf space instead of your competition, or how about you versus their kids? Think different and be different!
- Not understanding key business issues. In today’s highly competitive?world, sales reps are expected to have a strong understanding of the issues effecting their?prospect’s business.?Bringing new insights and solutions to the table can?help you win trust and stand out from your competition. Figure it out. Look it up. Join their associations. Become credentialed. Ask?questions of others to learn what you don’t know so that you eventually are the SME in the space. Write white papers. Look for speaking opportunities. We all can find the time, which may come after your loved ones hit?the hay. It just depends on your level of dedication. There’s no right or wrong answer to this, you have to decide what and where to commit.?
- Failing to follow through. A prospect asks for a particular piece of information, but the?sales rep doesn’t deliver it, so the prospect is forced to call, and call multiple times. The tornado sirens are blasting off in the prospect’s mind. If the sales rep operates at an idiotic level before the sale is made, do you really think it’ll be that much better afterward? If you choose to blame others, forget it. The fault always lies?with you. You are the sales rep?and your job is to make sure you follow through. This, I have come to find out after sales reps leave, and while digging through the rubble there’s always a mess to clean up. So, do your job, log your notes effectively and efficiently, IN YOUR CRM, and get things done. I get mistakes happen but making it a habit and having a flow assures you don’t miss the mark.?
So, just a few things that came to mind as I was watching such a beloved movie late last night on Pluto TV. It’s amazing what you can think of when you can’t sleep! Go be good, go be great.
