5 Worst Habits of Unsuccessful Salespeople

Here are some habits of the worst sellers. I see these over and over again and looking at these (I'm hoping) will give you some insight on what to avoid. Some sellers make lots of mistakes, here are a few;

1. Thinking you can do it all yourself.
Selling is a a numbers game. It used to be that you could spend your time smiling and dialing but these days calling, integrated with marketing, is a better approach. Cold calls have very low probability by themselves but comblined with good marketing campaigns can be very effective in B2B sales.

2. Talking too much.
Salespeople like to talk. The fact is, the best sellers are great listeners and they use silence really well. Listen when you want your customers to talk more. Silence is appropriate when you are listening so you don't interrupt your customer - ever.

3. Doing the same things in all situations.
One of the predictors of sales success is the ability to think on your feet. Some salespeople start their sales calls the same way and act the same way with every type of customer. It just doesn't work, especially at executive levels.

4. Expecting things to happen now.
Some things just take time. If you want a piece of business badly enough you may have to be persistent and try to make contact over a period of months. Be patient and don't give up if the account is worth it. Salespeople have to be able to deal with ambiguity and the unknown and patience is powerful when it's combined with persistence.   

5. Thinking it's easy.
People think selling is easy only because the great salespeople make it look easy. "Easy" really only comes with lots of years of experience doing the right things over and over again and getting the planned (subconsious) results. Until then, prepare!

For another view of this topic read Stephen Schiffmans book, "The 25 Most Common Sales Mistakes: And How to Avoid Them"

Comments

[Scott Sheaffer]

Couldn't agree more with your comment about people thinking that sales is easy. It's like watching ice skating at the Olympics. It's beautiful, fun to watch and easy looking. It's the first two but most assuredly not the last.

[RogRaigamikat]

Very good site. Thank you...

[Nick Moreno]

"Talking too much" is sure a big problem. When they are not talking, too many salespeople are busy thinking about something to say next. Listening is a very powerful sales skill and one that successful salespeople use to close more business.
Nick

[Internet marketing consulting]

Sales is no joke. It takes a lot of work to make it look "easy" like you said. I'm glad you made the point about doing the same things in all situations too. That same principle goes of selling through internet marketing as well (which is what I do). There are always evergreen principles but the methods and ways of approaching people change based on the market or even sometimes the person.

[acme phone leads]

You either have a talent for sales or you dont. If your easily offended or cant take it on the chin then sales is not for you.

[Calandra]

This is a great post! I totally agree with your list.