COMMON SALES MISTAKES AND HOW TO AVOID THEM ...By Stephan Schiffman

Ask any successful salesman he will tell you that selling can be fulfiling, while to another selling is uninteresting and draining. The results they have commanded in sales must have formed the basis of their judgement. There are pitfalls in sales that must be avoided in order to see satisfactory results. Stephan Schiffman exposed the most common sales mistakes and how to avoid them:

1. Not being obsessed.

Maintain a commitment to work that encourages you to utilise everything at your disposal to get results. It is however important that you also love what you do enough to practice your obsession with discipline.

2. Not listening to the prospect.

Make your sales objective one targeted at helping the prospect to solve their unique set of problems and concerns. You must let the prospect speak about himself or herself and the information you receive as a result is invaluable.

3. Not empathizing with the prospect.

Make an effort to see things from the prospect's point of view. This will help you understand their problems and enable you make a better sale.

4. Seeing the prospect as an adversary.

See your prospect as a partner. You should strive to get the two of you working together to attain your goals and his goals. The prospect is not someone you have to outwit or outsmart. The best selling arises from win-win situation; you win if and only if the prospect wins.

5. Getting Distracted.

Giving the prospect all your attention will earn you his undivided attention. When you get distracted during a sale, you distract your prospect and thus throw the whole meeting into disarray thereby destroying the possibility of building an atmosphere of trust.

6. Not taking Notes.

Taking notes send a signal to the prospect that you are there to learn about their needs and this encourages them to volunteer information. It not only helps you keep the prospect's needs in mind, it also improves your presentation in the sense that it shows that you are professional, organised and in control.

7. Failing to follow up.

Keep your contact fresh by making minimal investment of time and care to assemble a short thank you note. A neat, courteous and professional follow-up letter keeps your line taut just as a brief typed note serves as a tactful, professional reminder that can reinforce the positive points of your visit. Treating current and prospective customers like professionals worthy of respect is always good business.

8. Not keeping in contact with past clients.

Help clients to keep you in mind. If they have used your product or service before, they are likely to come to a point where they will need it again and are in a position to refer you so, just keep in touch, one professional to another in a way that is not intrusive or unprofessional.

9. Not planning the day efficiently.

You must be seriously dedicated to getting the most out of your day and planning ahead on a daily basis goes a long way in achieving this. Your success or failure in committing yourself to a daily schedule will have an impact on your overall performance as a sales person.

10. Not looking your best.

Prospects remember people who walk in the door looking sharp, they make instant positive impression and win the respect of their clients in those first few seconds that happen to be very critical.

11. Not taking the prospect's point of view.

A prospect is more interested in the benefit of your product or service than its features. Isolate how your product or service helps people and its tangible advantages over the competition, so you can apply it to the prospect's needs.

12. Not taking Pride in your work.

If you do not take pride your product or service, and the organisation behind it, you will not be successful. You should be enthusiatic about what you do.

13. Trying to convince, rather than convey.

You have an objective of conveying value and benefit rather than convincing your client. You are not there to change his mind or convince him but to convey to him why and how you can help solve his problems.

14. Underestimating the prospect's intelligence.

You know so much about your product but lack information about the problems of your prospect. Since you are there to solve his problems, the knowledge he has is of great value to you too.

15. Not keeping up to date.

Knowledge is power. Making an effort to understand what is going on in their industry will help you gain a broader outlook to the whole environment. You know that if your customers do well, you will also do well. Keep your eyes and ears open.

16. Rushing the sale.

Let the sales progress gradually. You should not expect to deliver the first order on your first sales appointment.

17. Not using people proof.

Being able to cite another business in the same industry that has had success with your product or service reinforces positive inclinations toward your company.

18. Being Fooled by "Sure Things"

A little enthusiasm is healthy but you cannot afford to spend hours day dreaming about the big sale. No matter how good things are on the horizon, daydreaming can lead you to complacency and on to outright self deception where you make a big deal of potential sales that are not even promising.

19. Taking Rejection Personal.

You must learn that rejection is not a personal affront or a reflection on you, your product or your company but a part of the overall cycle inherent in any day's work.

20. Underestimating the importance of prospecting.

A solid commitment to prospecting which is a crucial stage in the development of new customers is one habit that is very likely to ensure sales success. Learn to always keep something in the pipeline.

21. Not showing competitive spirit.

You are in a competitive market and your victory lies in gaining and keeping satisfied