Untitled Document

THE 20 BIGGEST MISTAKES SALES
PEOPLE MAKE

Let's face it: some of the best advice you can get comes in
the form of "What NOT to do." It may sound a little cynical or negative, but
it's really the best way to learn from other people's mistakes and avoid
repeating them in your own day-to-day selling activities.

So we've put together a list of the 20 biggest mistakes that
we've seen salespeople make over almost 3 decades of being in the sales
consulting business. These are things that are absolutely guaranteed to derail
your career. These ideas are so important - so vital to your success - that
we're going to discuss each one in detail. So, we'll look at ten of them this
month and then we'll pick up where we left off next month.



10 of the 20 Biggest Mistakes Salespeople make: (Part 2..
coming soon!)

1. They don't become a student of their craft

Did you know Tiger Woods spends a million dollars a year
on his swing coach? A million dollars working on his swing, every single year!
He is always working to get better.and look where he is!

That's why it's so amazing to see salespeople who refuse
to spend more than five or ten dollars a year on their own professional growth.

Professional selling is a world that's changing by leaps
and bounds, especially with the ease with which prospects and customers can
access information about the marketplace - and your competitors! So, if you
take your career seriously, you'd better study your craft. You can't go to
sleep at the switch and expect to keep getting results. You've got to
constantly reinvigorate yourself.

The best salespeople go to the bookstore every month or so
and buy all the latest books, CDs or DVDs on sales and marketing. They also
attend seminars, read articles, follow business blogs, listen to podcasts, read
industry publications and watch business news every day and every single year of
their selling careers. Look at it this way: if you pick up even just one idea
that you didn't think about before or something new that you can integrate into
what you're already doing - it's well worth the investment of time and money.



2. They don't "narrowcast" their offering

Mediocre salespeople remain generalists. In other words,
they don't become specialists in a segment or specialists in a particular type
of market, or specialists that are delivering a specific type of product.

Think about it. In medicine, the real money and prestige
go to medical specialists. The specialist has "narrowcasted" his or her
offering. The most successful salespeople do the same thing. They really
master the art of narrowcasting their offerings. They become well-known
specialists in selling one thing, and people come to them for that one thing.



3. They fail to position themselves correctly

People pay attention to people who they perceive as having
something important to say to them.
So you need to position yourself as an expert in
something. You can write for trade journals or offer speeches or seminars
within an association or organization - but you've got to have a positioning
strategy that's designed to create "pull."

Here's a great example. There's a consultant we know who
does a phenomenal job of positioning and narrowcasting. He holds seminars for
senior-level decision makers on the topic of "How to Get The Most out of Your
Consultants." He says "If you have a Consultant working for you, here are some
things that you need to know to get maximum value and return out of your
Consultants."

It's genius. He gets a ton of business. He was probably a
consultant who said "If I could talk to my client and give them advice for
getting the most out of my services, this is what I'd tell them to do." He put
it together, then reversed it, and went out and sold it! And in doing so, he
positioned himself very accurately and "narrowcasted" his offering effectively.



4. They fail to prospect

Pay attention to this one, because the single biggest
cause of failure for salespeople is an inadequate supply of qualified prospects.
This point is a lot like #1 on this list. Salespeople tend to study the craft
and do a whole lot of prospecting early in their careers. But later on, they
get so involved and caught up in the routine activities of selling and servicing
that they neglect to invest time and energy in growth strategies like improving
their skills and hunting for new business.

But neglecting to prospect is even dumber than you might
think. Remember, your best customer is someone else's best prospect. Despite
your best efforts to keep them satisfied, your customers are never guaranteed to
stay with you. Statistics indicate that most businesses lose about 20% of their
customers each year, which unfortunately is just the natural level of "churn" in
the marketplace. That makes it pretty obvious that you've got to prospect
pretty heavily just to KEEP the same level of business that you currently have.
If you want to actually GROW your sales, you'll need to do even more
prospecting.

Think of it this way, you are constantly losing the very
blood that keeps your sales career alive. You can't survive very long without a
transfusion. The fact is, if you want to have someone to work with tomorrow or
next week or next year, you've got to actively engage in prospecting today - and
every single day - for the rest of your selling career.



5. They get in front of the wrong people

You simply can't find success selling to the wrong people.

You had better be in front of people who:

a.. Have the authority and ability to make a decision
b.. Have a need and are aware of it
c.. Have a perceived problem, or a pain
d.. Are willing to listen to you

It's true that activity drives results.but only the right
activity drives the right results. In other words, it doesn't matter how many
people you call on if none of them are the right people. In fact, approaching
the wrong people may be to your detriment. It can position you poorly and if
you enter at the wrong level, it's very hard to work yourself up! You may
alienate the people you approached originally, and the people who are at the top
won't see you as having something valuable to say, because you didn't get to
them in the first place.



6. They listen to their peers

Chances are 80% of your peers are delivering only 20% of
the results - so when it comes to listening to the people around you, choose
carefully. When you start hearing things like, "That's not the way to sell.you
can't make more than 'X' amount of dollars in this business.The company is
really bad; they're always out to get us.We've got an inferior product.Our
delivery is bad.Our prices are out of line.The commission structure on prices is
unfair.The future's bleak, the economy is bad.The boss is a jerk." You've got to
stop and consider the source.

Listen to positive, upbeat ideas and take heed of what the
most successful people say, but don't waste your mental energy on the rest.



7. They don't understand the economics of their product

Would you sell something for a dollar that cost you a
dollar and fifty cents? You wouldn't? Well, the interesting thing is lots of
salespeople are busy doing just that - and they don't realize it. They're
completely caught up in "making the sale" but they're totally out of touch with
what it costs to get that product or service into a customer's hands:
manufacturing, marketing, advertising, administrative support, facilities,
utilities, taxes.the figures are staggering. Unless you account for every cent
that goes into the entire process, it's very easy to end up giving the product
away.

One of our clients - a CEO - told us a story about one of
his sales professionals who came to him and said "Look. We can beat these guys.
If we just lower our price to this." And the CEO looked at it and said "The
price that you want to sell it for is less than our variable cost on that
particular unit." The response from the salesperson was, "Yeah, but we can make
it up in volume." Here's a quick review from Economics 101: If you're losing
money on every deal, you can't make it up in volume! In fact, the more you
sell, the closer you move in the direction of bankruptcy. And if your company
goes out of business, you're not going to have anything to sell.

The salesperson may not be concerned because it's the
company that's losing the money and they still earn the commission. But in the
long run, the company's money comes from selling product at a profit. Period.
The whole purpose of having a sales force is to sell, and to sell at a profit.
If you can't do that for your organization, they're not going to have a reason
or a means to keep you employed.



8. They mentally spend their income - before they earn it

There are the mundane issues like delivery problems,
delays, cancellations, internal changes within the organization, but that's just
the tip of the iceberg. No matter how sure the sale seems, none of us can see
into the future. What if the organization you just sold to has its assets
seized by the IRS tomorrow? What if the executive who just signed the papers is
indicted on embezzlement charges next week? Are they really going to pay that
invoice?

One of our clients told us that 10 years ago they had a
purchase order for one of America's largest companies - for literally millions
of dollars worth of business - and they never exercised the purchase order.
Just because you receive a purchase order doesn't mean anybody has to exercise
it!

The Sale is not made until you have received your
commission check and it's gone into the bank, and it's absolutely sure, put
away, guaranteed in that bank account. That's when the sale is consummated.
It's very easy to forget this fact, particularly if you're relatively new to
selling or if you're down-and-out and you're trying to make things better.
Remember, just because someone said they'll buy it - even if they signed all the
paperwork - it doesn't mean a thing until the check clears in the bank.



9. They fail to ask the *right* questions

In fact, not only would we say that they failed to ask the
right questions - but maybe they failed to ask questions at all. Or worse, they
did ask questions but didn't listen to the answers. So the bottom line is:

a.. Are they the right questions?
b.. Do you listen to the answers?
c.. Do you write the answers down?
d.. Do you ask questions in the right way?
e.. Do you ask them in the right sequence?
f.. Can you extrapolate fromone question to the next?
g.. Are you really listening to what they say? Or are
you anticipating what you're going to say next?

We've discovered that the one silver lining in this
problem is that many salespeople recognize that this is a weakness they need to
address. Whenever we ask salespeople what skills they would like toimprove,
questioning skills is always at the top of the list.

Our general observation is that sales professionals don't
dig deep enough. They may plan their questions ahead of time and are able to
ask a few questions that scratch the surface of their prospect's problem or
desire.but they don't ask questions about the answer to each question.and then
more questions about the answer to that question.the problem is that most
salespeople stop digging long before they strike gold.

You'll need to practice this skill with specific examples
from your industry and your prospects. Ask your sales manager and successful
sales professionals to help you role play some questioning sequences. Time and
effort that you put into sharpening your questioning skills is always well-spent
because this is the skill that makes the sale



10. They are either Digitally Compulsive or Digitally
Impaired

Surely you've seen them both - the salesperson who's so
compulsive about digital technology, that they spend all of their time on the
internet, on their PDA or in a Sales Force Automation program - and the one
who's so impaired that they're unable to function in the digital world.

Bottom line: You should not be sitting in front of your
computer screen all day long nor should you stubbornly resist changes that can
make you more effective at selling. You need to be eyeball to eyeball (or
headset to receiver) with prospects and customers. Technology is a tool. You
should use it to drive business. It should not drive you.

When somebody is out building a house, they don't use a
hammer for everything. They use a hammer for specific tasks they've got to do.
When you've got a tool like a contact management software program - it's a
hammer. Pull it out, use it when you need it, and then put it back in your
belt. Go on and do what you do.don't live in front of this thing. But, also,
don't go out and try to build a house without a hammer in your tool belt. Use
it, when it's appropriate.


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Please Pass this Issue Along to Friends, Co-Workers,
Customers ... Anyone Who Could Benefit.
They'll appreciate it, and so will we!

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"The fact is, everyone is in sales.
Whatever area you work in, you do have clients and
you do need to sell."

--- Jay Abraham, Marketing Expert





SPECIAL ANOUNCEMENT

If you are interested in growing your sales immediately, GUERRILLA
SALES STRATEGIES Seminar is for you. Whether you spend all of your time
selling, or if only a portion of your job requires you to sell, your ability to
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GUERRILLA SALES STRATEGIES
How to Get the Client Focus OFF the Competition & ON to YOU By Being a
More Creative, Flexible Super-Sales Person!



Date: February 20, 2008
Time: 8:30 AM - 12:00 NN (Morning Session)
Venue: CROWNE PLAZA, Ortigas, Pasig City


Seminar Description :

An interactive seminar that challenges the participants to understand
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The concept of "Guerrilla" Sales Strategies is EXCITING!! It's about
having a plan! A plan that will create win/win initiatives based on speed,
technology, creativity and focus. These factors are the little differences which
make all the difference in today's environment and will give you an enormous
competitive edge!


Seminar Outline :

It Is Never A Level Playing Field Out There

The Need For A Change Paradigm Towards Guerrilla Sales Strategies

The Rules Of Engagement In Guerrilla Sales

The Platform Of SPEED In Guerrilla Sales

The Platform Of Technology In Guerrilla Sales

The Platform Of Creativity In Guerrilla Sales

The Platform Of Tunnel Vision In Guerrilla Sales

Alignment Of Strategies In A Changing Environment



----------------------------------------------------------------------

HURRY!! Reserve your seats NOW! SAVE P700
(prior to January 21, 2008)!


Learning Investment for the Half-Day Seminar:

. Early Bird Rate: P2,148 - VAT Inclusive (pay on or before January
21, 2008)


. Regular Rate: P2,848 - VAT Inclusive (starting January 22, 2008)


. Whole Program Rate: P3,696 - VAT Inclusive (Morning & Afternoon
Session)





LEARNING INVESTMENT INCLUDES:

A "Fun-filled" Learning Experience, complete with Learning
Manuals/Hand-outs, Certificates, and Freebies!! Plus... Sumptuous Snacks!

------------------------------------------------------------------------

TACTICS TO CLOSE MORE SALES

Date: February 20, 2008
Time: 1:30 PM - 5:00 PM (Afternoon Session)
Venue: CROWNE PLAZA, Ortigas, Pasig City


Seminar Description :

A highly charged seminar that builds the participant's self-grounding
and eventual appreciation of the value of a Sale!


The Valuable tips, techniques and creative ideas will get you
thinking, will get you excited and on the right track.

After this seminar you will have a more complete picture of how you
should be applying the Sales Process in order to

1. Deliver your presentation in a more logical way
2. Say and do the BEST thing during critical points of The Sales
Closing Process
3. Increase your closing ratio and,
4. Close Bigger and Better Sales Accounts.



Seminar Outline :

The Anatomy Of A Sale. = A Paradigm Of Focus And Attention

Review Of The Selling Steps (Where Bottlenecks Can Occur)

The Framework of The Sales Closing Stage


Critical Elements In The Sales Closing Stage

Understanding Situations Within The Sales Closing Stage

Techniques For Better Sales Closing

Pitfalls In The Sales Closing Stage

The Follow-Thru Next Steps

------------------------------------------------------------------------

HURRY!! Reserve your seats NOW! SAVE P700
(prior to January 21, 2008)!


Learning Investment for the Half-Day Seminar:

. Early Bird Rate: P2,148 - VAT Inclusive (pay on or before January
21, 2008)


. Regular Rate: P2,848 - VAT Inclusive (starting January 22, 2008)


. Whole Program Rate: P3,696 - VAT Inclusive (Morning & Afternoon
Session)





LEARNING INVESTMENT INCLUDES:

A "Fun-filled" Learning Experience, complete with Learning
Manuals/Hand-outs, Certificates, and Freebies!! Plus... Sumptuous Snacks!

------------------------------------------------------------------------

For seat reservations or queries, please call Mitch or Kristine...

ARIVA! Seminar & Convention Organizers
895-8058 / 895-9527 / 890-9651
Call/Text: 0917-3257870

Email: SuccessSeminars@...

R E G I S T E R O N L I N E: www.Ariva.com.ph

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