If you ask someone how they’d describe a salesperson, they would most likely give you some negative adjectives like pushy, loud, slick, greedy, and dishonest just to name of few. Now that the world of sales has evolved past the days where being difficult and smarmy was common practice, we have found there are more effective and honest methods to selling. Despite the progress made over the years, salespeople are still making the same mistakes all the time. Here are several of those.
The first common mistake is when a salesperson directs their focus on the product or service and not on the customer. If the customer does not feel like they are valued then the likelihood of closing a deal is slim. A good way to create an immediate connection with the customer is by getting to know them and try to really understand their needs. This allows the salesperson to quickly identify how to best serve the customer without wasting their time. Once this strategy is mastered, it will significantly improve the salesperson’s ability to make a sale and establish an authentic customer relationship.
Another common mistake is when the salesperson assumes they understand the client’s situation after a brief time of talking with them. This can be an easy trap to fall into especially because there are many clients that have similar stories and issues they face that the salesperson has seen time and time again, leading to unintentionally grouping those clients together as opposed to seem them as individuals with their own unique situations. It is essential for every client to be given the time to talk about their pain points in order for the salesperson to help solve their problem as best they can.
Most mistakes salespeople make tie back to prioritizing something over the customer. This can take the form of talking more than listening, being aggressive with the customer, being dishonest about the product they are offering, as well as assuming what the customer wants before they get to explain themselves. As long as salespeople put the customer first and take the time to build an authentic relationship, then the negative stigma surrounding them will hopefully disappear all together.
BoweryJE22
I like how you talked about how the salesperson often assumes the customer’s situation. Not only is this applicable to sales, but it also works with entrepreneurship as well. Definitely a great thing to keep in mind.
What you said about not making assumptions about the customer’s needs lined right up with Coach DiDonatto talked about when he used the examples of asking questions that can limit what the customer is trying to say. It’s a good reminder to make sure our (the salesperson’s) preconceived ideas aren’t being projected onto our customers but that we’re actually allowing them to fully explain themselves.