The name of the writer is Fatema Ahmad who is an MBA student at FAST-NUCES Islamabad.
6 Common Slip-Ups in Sales
With rapid developments of time and technology businesses are seeking different and inventive techniques to enhance their revenues in order to beat the vicious competition. But in doing so companies get pushy in terms of selling their products which not only hurt the company’s reputation but also create a negative feedback for the product/service.
With increased rivalry companies are becoming very aggressive to push sales and for that they are investing massively on sales training. Considering sales as the back bone of an organization, companies are taking immediate steps for effective sales management which involves coaching sales personnel about operative skills and teaching them to conduct a successful sales deal.
Regardless of sales coaching and training there are still some common mistakes which the sales representatives usually make without even realizing, which jeopardize the company’s image. Sales managers need to maintain a strict track of these basic slip-ups and take measures to avoid them in future.
Following are the most common slip-ups in sales.
- Failing to Qualify the Target:
In order to sell a product/service you need to ascertain the target audience first. Trying to sell a product to a person who does not need it is not a success but a mere waste of time. Therefore the first step for a successful sale is to qualify your target customer.
Qualifying targets helps in understanding consumer needs and budget limitations. Most importantly it also determines whether the potential target has the authority to make the sales decision or not. Mostly sales representatives are convincing those individuals who do not possess the power for saying a “yes”.
Therefore sales representatives should make sure that they qualify the target customers considering their need for product, financial resources, and the power of saying yes.
- Inadequate Research and Groundwork:
Usually the sales representatives assumes that convincing a target customer is very easy. But in fact it’s not. Adequate research and groundwork is required to thoroughly study the potential customer before approaching him/her.
Knowing about the potential customer beforehand gives you an additional edge over your target customer and helps in establishing a good rapport.
It also suggests about the specific requirements a customer is seeking in a product/service and whether your product can satisfy those requirements or not. Moreover a rough idea about his/her financial resources would make it simpler that whether he/she can afford your product/service or not.
Failing to conduct the above mentioned groundwork prior approaching a potential customer would lead to disappointment in sales along with waste of time.
- First Impressions are the Last Impressions:
Creating a promising impression on the potential customer is directly proportional to creating a promising impression of the organization. If a sales representative fails to create a positive impression on the customer, he not only loses the customer but it will also jeopardize the company’s reputation.
Sales representatives are the face of the organization, their appearance explains about the organization. If they appear wearing untidy attire, have poor communication skills, or seem unreliable, this can totally call off a sales deal.
It is highly advisable for sales managers to give special training to sales representatives on creating positive first impressions on the potential customers. This can be achieved by taking small measures such as wearing well-ordered clothes, have a pleasant attitude towards the customer, knowing about the customer in advance to establish rapport, good communication skills, ability to handle queries, and possess active listening skills. Listening carefully and giving respect to the customer will depict your professionalism. Getting overly friendly and talking way too much will make you seem phony. Taking care of these practices will create a positive first impression on the customer, not just of a sales representative but of the organization in general.
Therefore in order to create a lasting first impression companies should train their sales representatives on these small practices which will create a positive impact on company’s reputation.
- Offering immaterial information:
While struggling to create a positive first impression, sales representatives usually exceed the boundaries of providing relevant information and offer immaterial details. This is because they are talking too much.
Excessive talk is always confusing and gives a negative impression to the potential customer. It is normally believed that sales representatives talk so much that they don’t allow the customer to speak and by doing so they get off the track which creates confusion.
Being precise and to the point is very important when providing product/service details. Being selective with words is what makes you a smart sales representative. Have respect for your customer’s time and be very particular with facts.
After the relevant information is delivered you should allow the customer to speak and ask queries. Queries should be answered with appropriate details and information to maintain clarity.
- Lack of Product Expertise:
Not having sufficient knowledge about your product/service is one of the biggest slip-ups of sales. When a customer asks a question regarding the product/service, he expects a detailed explanation. Not being able to answer his/her question due to lack of product knowledge will cease the sale without any further proceeding.
In order to convince the potential customer you need to have a complete background and relevant information about your product/service. Not knowing about what you are trying to sell will take you nowhere. Customers of present age are very informed, not giving them necessary details would lead them towards your competitors.
Therefore sales managers need to make sure that they educate their sales representatives with all kinds of product/service information.
- Closing the Sale:
A sales pitch/ conversation is only considered successful if it ends up in generating business. It is that point of time when you realize that whether you are going to get the deal or if you were just like the ones who wasted their valuable time selling something at the wrong time. This is considered as one of the most crucial steps of the selling process.
Mostly sales representatives either try to close really soon or they keep waiting too long. In both situations they fail to close because there comes a point when they need to talk business. Closing before that point makes them seem pushy, whereas talking beyond that point raises further issues such as customer losing interest.
Whereas sometimes sales representatives try to close the sale with the wrong person who might not have the authority to close. Therefore sales managers need to pay special attention on grooming their sales representatives with closing skills which involves educating them about when and how to close.