Selling is about convincing your customer to buy what you're selling.
But it's not as easy as it looks?
It takes a lot of time and effort before he finally says YES
The real question is:
- Why is it so difficult for some vendors to sell their solution?
- What's stopping them from selling?
- What are the common mistakes made by a salesperson that lead to a NO from the customer?
Since we don't know what's really stopping us from selling.
Let's take a look at the 10 most common mistakes made by salespeople that prevent them from closing the sale.
You're not really listening to your customer
Selling is about understanding your customer 's needs and providing a solution that meets those needs .
But if you're not really listening to your customer, how can you know what they need?
Too often, salespeople are so focused on selling their product that they don't take the time to listen to what the customer is saying.
They're busy formulating their next answer , instead of actually hearing what the customer is saying.
And that can be a fatal mistake.
If you don't listen to your customer, you won't understand their needs or desires.
You won't be able to offer them a solution that meets their needs.
And you run the risk of losing the sale.
So make sure you take the time to listen to your customer.
Ask him questions and let him talk.
This will help you understand their needs and desires, and help you close the sale.
You're not asking the right questions.
Salespeople need to ask the right questions to understand their customers' needs.
But all too often, sales reps focus on the wrong things and ask questions that don't help them understand their customers' needs.
Here are some examples of questions that sales representatives should avoid asking:
- What do you do?
- How long have you been doing it?
- Where are you from?
- Which school did you attend?
These questions may seem innocent enough, but they don't really help the salesperson understand the customer's needs.
On the contrary, they waste time and can even put customers off.
The best way to understand your customer's needs is to ask open-ended questions that encourage them to talk about their challenges and pain points.
For example:
- Tell me about your company.
- What are your greatest challenges?
- What are you looking for in a solution?
By asking these types of questions, you'll be able to better understand your customer's needs and how your product or service can help them.
You don't draw up a report.
Establishing a relationship with your customer is essential if you want to close the sale.
But all too often, salespeople focus on selling their product and neglect toestablish a relationship with their customer.
To build rapport, salespeople need to establish trust and mutual understanding with their customers.
This can be done through active listening, empathy and relationship-building.
Active listening means really listening to what your customer is saying and trying to understand their needs.
Empathy means being able to see things from your customer's point of view and understand their feelings.
Building relationships means creating a bond with your customer that goes beyond the sale.
If you don't establish a relationship with your customer, you're less likely to close the sale.
So make sure you take the time to build a relationship with your customer based on trust and mutual understanding.
You're going too far.
When it comes to selling, you can't be too insistent. If you insist too much, you risk turning your customer off and losing the sale.
So what's the right way to sell? The answer is simple: you need to go easy on the selling and concentrate on building a relationship with your customer.
When you go easy on the sale, you're more likely to close it.
Why?
Because your customer will feel more comfortable doing business with you.
He'll trust you and feel that you want to help him solve his problem.
If you overdo it, you'll come across asarrogant and aggressive. Your customer will get the impression that you're just trying to make a sale, and will be less inclined to do business with you.
So remember, when it comes to selling, it's best to take it slow and focus on building a relationship with your customer.
You don't understand their needs.
Salespeople should avoid asking questions that don't help them understand their customers' needs, and focus on open-ended questions that encourage them to talk.
By understanding their customers' needs, salespeople will be better placed to sell their product or service.
You're not prepared.
One of the most important things a salesperson can do is to be prepared for his or her meeting with the customer.
This means having all the information about your product or service and being able to answer any questions the customer may have.
If you're not prepared, you risk losing the sale.
So take the time to prepare for your meeting with the customer, and make sure you have all the information you need to close the deal.
You're not offering them value.
If you want to close the sale, you have to offer your customer value. Value is what your customer gets out of your product or service.
That's the benefit ofusing your solution.
Too often, salespeople focus on the features of their product or service and neglect to sell the benefits.
This is a mistake, because customers don't care about features, they care about benefits.
To deliver value, salespeople need to be able to show customers how their product or service will solve their problem.
They need to demonstrate how their solution will make their life easier or help them achieve their goals.
If you can't offer value, you won't be able to close the sale. So make sure you take the time to understand your customers' needs and show them how your product or service can help them.
You're not honest.
As a salesperson, it's important to be honest with your customers. This means being transparent about your product or service and not making false promises.
If you're not honest with your customers, you won't be able to build trust and close the sale.
One of the most important things you can do as a salesperson is to be transparent about your product or service.
This means being open and honest about what your product or service can do for the customer.
You should never make false promises or exaggerate your product or service.
This will only damage your reputation and make it harder to sell in the future.
It's also important to be honest about your own skills and experience.
If you don't know your product or service well, you shouldn't try to sell it.
It's better to be honest and tell the customer you don't know the product than to try to sell it and fail.
Finally, you must always be sincere when communicating with customers.
This means being clear and concise in your communication.
Don't try to mislead the customer or withhold information.
This will only damage your relationship with the customer and make it more difficult to close a sale.
You're making assumptions.
Salespeople need to avoid making assumptions about their customers. This includes making assumptions about their needs, desires and budget.
Making assumptions will only push salespeople to sell products or services that their customers don't want or need.
To avoid making assumptions, salespeople need to take the time to get to know their customers.
This means asking questions and listening to their answers.
Only by taking the time to understand their customers can salespeople be sure of selling them the right product or service.
Making assumptions is a common mistake made by salespeople.
So, if you want to avoid it, make sure you take the time to get to know your customers and understand their needs.
Only then will you be able to sell them the right product or service.
You're trying to sell them something they don't need
Salespeople should avoid trying to sell their customers something they don't need.
It's a common mistake that leads to lost sales and frustrated customers.
Salespeople often think they know what's best for their customers, and try to sell them products or services they don't need.
This is a mistake, because it leads to two problems.
Firstly, customers may be dissatisfied with their purchase because it doesn't meet their needs.
Secondly, the salesperson has wasted time and effort trying to sell something the customer doesn't want.
To avoid this mistake, salespeople need to take the time to understand their customers' needs.
Only then can they sell them products or services that meet these needs.
Trying to sell your customers something they don't need is a surefire way to lose a sale and damage your relationship with the customer.
You are insistent or aggressive
Salespeople who are pushy or aggressive often end up alienating potential customers.
This is because their approach is too forceful and can be perceived as rude or unprofessional.
Pushy or aggressive salespeople often make the mistake of trying to impose their product or service on the customer.
They often ignore the customer's objections and try to sell anyway.
This can be very frustrating for the customer and can lead to a lost sale.
To avoid being pushy or aggressive, salespeople need to take the time to understand their customers.
They must also be respectful of the customer's wishes and never ignore his or her objections.
Being insistent or aggressive will only damage your relationship with the customer and make it harder to close a sale.
Conclusion
Salespeople make many mistakes that prevent them from selling their product or service.
The most common are making assumptions, trying to sell something the customer doesn't need, being pushy or aggressive, and not taking the time to understand their customers.
If you want to be a successful salesperson, it's important to avoid these mistakes.
Take the time to get to know your customers and understand their needs.
Only then can you sell them what they really want. Be respectful of their wishes and never ignore their objections.
And finally, don't be afraid to ask for the sale.
If you do these things, you'll be well on your way to becoming an effective salesperson.
