The 12 worst sales blunders

For many home business owners, the thought of "selling" is a scary thought and often causes them to focus on the wrong things. But the truth is, sales is the lifeblood of the organisation, says Kellie D'Andrea, and it is important to avoid falling into bad habits.

So what are some of the biggest sales blunders you can make when trying to sell?

1. Failing to network

Making connections is the single most important task a business owner must be involved with everyday. You will not grow your business sitting behind a computer or staying in your store, or in your office. You need to connect with people so they can get to know you and build a relationship with you but remember, the goal of networking isn't to get a sale at that moment, but to meet people who can lead to your next sale.

2. Talking too much

Marketing your business is about making an emotional connection with your customers and you cannot accomplish that without learning about the other person. Often business owners get really excited about getting their own message out, they forget to ask or learn about what their prospect challenges are, what opportunities may exist and what things they have in common that will enable them to make a connection. So take the time to let the other person open up and ask questions and stop doing all the talking.

3. Failing to understand your customers challenges

With our lives going a million miles per hour, we often go into autopilot and begin thinking a few steps ahead and aren't really listening. We often don't really tune into what people are saying and are unable to really either pick up or understand the customer challenges. When listening to your customer's challenges don't always look for the obvious; think out of the box and look for other possibilities.

4. Failing to pre-qualify leads

Know what your ideal client looks like and learn to attract those clients to you. Don't waste time on people who are not waiting in line to work with you, pre-qualify your leads by asking question and making sure there is a good fit.

5. Asking for the sale or commitment too soon

In order to truly sell, you must build a relationship and you must establish trust and credibility. Many business owners go for blood and ask for the sale or commitment too soon before building a relationship. Asking too soon, really impacts your credibility. So do not be pushy and allow the process to happen.

6. Over reacting to objections

Objections are just part of the sales process. When your prospect gives you an objection, do not react badly as most sales people do... Watch your body language, watch your facial expression and do not immediately respond. You should listen and get them talking so you understand the whole story. Then respond accordingly to overcome those objections or walk away.

7. Inability to demonstrate value

Another big blunder is talking too much about your features or a process vs. benefits.. By spending a lot of time talking about "the what" and "the how", you miss the opportunity to show the benefits and articulate the value. You should be able to talk benefits from the customer's perspective.

8. Mistaking being busy for being productive

There is a big difference between being busy and being productive. Running your business, getting sales, getting new clients is all about results. You want to make sure you design a strategy and take actions that lead to you generating income. Make sure that the actions you focus on in building your business are the ones that lead to new clients, not just busy work.

9. Settling for the status quo

Many business owners often get complacent and begin settling for the status quo. Perhaps they are rainmakers and have built a big book of business or perhaps they just haven't sharpened their skills. Remember, you are only as good as your last deal and you need to have a healthy pipeline so your business never dies.

10. No Follow up

Research has shown that 80 percent of sales are made after the 7th contact. However, most sales people, or business owners stop the sales process after the initial or second contact. Make sure you design a concrete follow up system that continues to add value to your customers.

11. Trying to hard sell

Nobody likes to be sold too. The best way to sell is to
be authentic and to be real. If you truly are in the service of others, meaning you really believe in your product or service and the value you bring, the sales will come.

12. Not Marketing and Positioning Yourself

You must have a personal brand. You have to spend time marketing and positioning yourself as a credible, trustworthy expert in your area. Too many people hide behind the business and do not create their own identity. Business is conducted with people relating to people so take the time to really stand out.

Kellie D'Andrea is the creator of BLAST Marketing System and publishes "The Marketing Edge" a FREE award winning ezine for small business owners who want to gain the competitive edge with strategic marketing and branding techniques that actually work. Sign up for FREE Marketing Classes "Marketing Mondays" and learn how to position your business for success. www.kelliedandrea.com