Sin #7

Mistake Number 7: You engage in too little new business activity.

How many prospects do you talk to every week? For all too many salespeople in all too many weeks the answer is a big fat zero. Are they really that busy? Or because they’re successful, have they allowed selling—the job they were hired to do—to take a back seat to servicing? To be good at prospecting takes practice. Otherwise when the bottom falls out and you’re scrambling for new work, your skills are rusty and it’s tougher to convince people to buy. Be proactive about seeking new business and you succeed no matter what fate throws your way.

Sin # 6

Mistake Number 6: You spend every moment servicing customers when some of the time you should be selling them.

Servicing and selling are two different tasks. Servicing focuses on current projects while selling looks for future business. What questions do you ask when you’re servicing an account? What questions do you ask prospects to get new business? They’re different, right? At least once a month, plan a sales call with current customers. Learn about new sources of pain. Discuss the customer’s goals. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that servicing and selling are synonyms because they’re not.

Sin # 5

Mistake Number 5: You assume the customer thinks they’re getting a great price.

Why do customers buy from you? Value or habit? If it’s habit, be warned. Just because your price isn’t questioned doesn’t mean the customer thinks they’re getting a bargain. What if one day your customer decided to look at your quote with fresh eyes? Would your product seem expensive compared to other options? If the answer is yes, mount an on-going campaign to convince customers your product is worth every penny. Even when you’re confident a sale is yours, initiate closing conversations to insure customers believe they’re spending money wisely.

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Sin # 4

Mistake Number 4: You allow customers to make dumb mistakes.

“I buy from suppliers who watch my back,” a buyer once told me. No one wants to make mistakes or look stupid. Making big expensive mistakes can get a buyer fired, so it’s your job to prevent customers from making them. Ask more questions. Insure buyers fully understand products, processes and schedules. Point out potential problems and discuss them. Stopping customers from screwing up is a big value-add, so be sure you include it with every order.

Sin # 3

Mistake Number 3: You’re too darn difficult to deal with.

I talked to a friend in purchasing and she said, “I fired a company this week because they were too hard to deal with.” What about you? Are you easy to work with? Do customers laud you for your quick response to phone calls and emails? Do you anticipate needs and fulfill them before you’re asked? Buyers are busy people. They don’t have time to chase down answers or check to be sure you’re doing your job. If you’re hard to deal with, they’ll fire you and buy from someone else.

Sin # 2

Mistake Number 2: You overestimate the value of the service you provide.

All humans have the same bias. We think we’re better than we really are and that leads us to overestimate the value of the service we provide. Sure, you do a good job, but honestly would the competition have done less? Sometimes what we regard as brilliant performance simply met the customer’s expectations. Don’t underestimate your competition. There’s a good chance they work just as hard as you do and that’s why it pays to look for new ways every day to make customers say, “Wow! I’m impressed.”