Now there may be more… many more… but i’m trying to keep this list to just 10!  Not an easy task

These are the biggest and most common mistakes a sales person can make:

1. Not being prepared before the presentation. Now don’t get me wrong, I’ve had to “wing it” a couple of times and had it work out well, but the professionals know what they’re doing and that’s why they do it so well.  So get prepared before the call/meeting/presentation, and you’ll consistantly do well.

2. Presentation.  Seriously, presentation makes up so much of your communication. Look the part.  If you’re selling to tradies, it’s worth dressing like a tradie so you look like you know what you’re talking about.  People can relate to you that way.  If you’re selling to people who wear suits, then wear a suit.  Go out and get the same brand too!  At the very least, keep yourself looking neat and tidy, and also the place where you work and present to your clients.  Presentation is everything and can make or break the deal even before you’ve considered the products.

3. Knowing your products/services. This is something that’s a big issue for sales people these days.  Product development and technical specifications are hard to keep up with but it’ll make or break you.  Specialise if you need to, but if you don’t know what you’re selling, you’ll lose the deal.

4. Asking the wrong questions. Communication is what selling’s all about.  And selling’s all about finding out what your customer needs.  Ask the right (and sometimes the tough) questions, and you’ll get the answers you need to move forward.

5. Not Listening.  Similar to not asking the right questions. Make sure when the customer’s talking, you shut up.  Don’t think about what you’re going to say next.  Pay attention to what’s being said, verbally, and with their body language.  You’ll learn what you need to know in order to make the deal.  You’ll find what really drives the decisions in your client.  And you’ll know what sales techniques to use to get the best results in each situation.

6. Not keeping your promises. If you make an arrangement to contact a client on a particular day, then do it.  If you promise delivery on a particular day, then deliver.  If you promised to take your clients kids to the park once a week for a month so your client can go to the football with his mates if you get the deal… then do it! You’ll keep your clients for longer, and you’ll be known as the guy who comes through when you need him.  A worthy reputation.

7. Not having any sales goals. Goals are like directions.  How will you know where to go if you don’t know where you’re heading?  It’s simple: People who set goals tend to achieve them.  Those who don’t, don’t.  Set some goals today, and track your progress.  Even if you don’t achieve them the first time, at least you’ll know where you’re going!

8. Not paying attention to the customer. Like listening, it’s important to notice the little things.  Become sensory aware and use all the info you’ve got to figure out exactly what makes this client tick.  Look for reactions, and emotions etc.  Until you start paying attention you’ll be missing what’s really going on around you.

9. Lack of congruence. If you don’t believe what you’re saying, and show that you mean it… neither will your client.  You’ve got to mean it. Sales people have a reputation for being dishonest already.  Become an example of someone who really means what they say and do in all areas of your life.  You’ll earn respect, and become trustworthy.  People will buy from you.

10.  Just not giving a damn. If you get paid by the hour, and you’re going to be paid anyway, there’s a good chance you’ve done this before.  It’s easy to say “Well, I’m getting paid if this joker buys this or not.”  But you’re selling yourself (and your company) short.  Go the extra mile and do your best to look after the people you meet.  If you really don’t like your job, then get into something else.  Seriously, you’re wasting everyone’s time and money.

That’s it.  That’s what not to do when selling. Now, do the opposite. 

Daily money making activities is about discovering the activities or actions that are earning you the most money and putting them first on your list of ‘things to do.’ My theory is that if you’re focused on getting the money making stuff done, the other things will just seem to get done as a mater of course.

The idea is to resist procrastination and get started doing the essence of you work. This would be called the one principle of a good work ethic, i.e., if you are writing a book, you don’t sit there shuffling papers around your desk . . .  or if you are a sales rep, you don’t just research you product, you get in front of people who are likely to buy from you and you sell the your products.

There is an 80-20 principle I like as well. It’s simply the principle that 20 percent of the things you do are the things making you money and the other 80 percent you could do without. It’s about finding out what your highest 20 percent money making tasks are and spending your time on these jobs. The other 80 percent can be either delegated or completely discarded.

I am talking about simple things such as writing a list of things to do today and then crossing off all but the most important, then rewriting the list with only the top three most important thing on it and doing those. (You can hand the remaining task to someone else to do.) . . . or, if you absolutely need to do the other things, too, set aside one hour of the day to blast through he less important things all in one hit.

Many good sales professionals have a great team working for them who help them keep their calendar booked up with prospective client visits so they do nothing but sell. That’s the environment we’re aiming for. It’s ideal for growth and profit. There’s nothing worse than being scattered between tasks when you need to be focused on the prospect during a presentation.

When you walk into a prospective client’s office, leave everything else outside the door, and I mean everything. Stay focused on what you are doing, if not, the potential client will see you are ‘elsewhere’ and wonder why he or she is not important enough to warrant your full attention and probably go with someone else who does give them their full attention.

Problems are another item that takes away from the task at hand and making money. Try to avoid bringing your problems into the clients office, like I said, leave them outside the door, pick them up on your way out, they will still be there. Hold a meeting with your team to work on the problem; many heads are better than one, if you can’t figure out a solution on your own.

If procrastination is creeping up on you, stop and ask yourself, ‘is this making me money or am I just avoiding something?’ if the answer is you are avoiding something, take a deep breath or go for a short walk, clear your head and get back to work. Stop the procrastination in its tracks, take it away from your desk, stick it in a draw and leave it there until you are ready to deal with it.

Remember the “A” “B” and “C” list of what you should be doing and this should also help you with your ‘Daily money making activities’ and keep you on track.

“Plan your progress carefully; hour-by hour, day-by-day, month-by-month. Organized activity and maintained enthusiasm are the wellsprings of your power”.                 Paul J. Meyer