Being in sales can be one of the most fulfilling and one of the most frustrating professions. You put your best foot forward and hope to assist clients in whatever they need. Sometimes, however, you find yourself stonewalled by the prospect and later feel baffled about what went wrong.

You know the basics of how to be a good sales person. You also need to know how to avoid annoying your sales prospect.

1. Listen to your prospect!

The old saying goes: “you have one mouth and two ears for a reason”. You need to listen twice as much as you speak. Your client does not want to be ignored. They want to know that you understand where they are coming from and what they need. If your client is asking questions or raises concerns, listen to what they are saying and repeat it back. You can avoid annoying your sales prospect by listening. Listening builds trust and trust builds sales.

Another piece of listening is not being a know-it-all. If your prospect starts to talk to you and they have some of their information wrong, never contradict them. Sales is not about being the smartest person, it’s about educating your customers.

2. Don’t interrupt.

This tip should almost go without saying. No one likes to be interrupted. It indicates a lack of concern for the client and it shows a lack of respect. You want to get your customer to talk to you. You need to know how they feel about what you are selling. If you talk over your customer, or make it difficult for them to get a word in, you are sending the message that you don’t care what they want or need. You can avoid annoying your sales prospect by being conversational but not by controlling the whole conversation.

3. Be prepared and be engaged!

Being prepared shows that you value your customers’ time. We are all busy and feel pressed for time. No one wants to wait while you shuffle through papers looking for information. Don’t look for answers or request information from the client that they have already provided you. A sure way to annoy your sales prospect is to have them repeat information that they have already given you. Have all of the pertinent and important information that you have gathered right at hand so that your customer feels like you are on the ball and value how busy they are. You need to know your product inside and out. The more sure you feel about the information the more professional and trustworthy you appear

And, always stay engaged and focused on the customer. When you look at your watch or start checking your Smart phone the customer knows that you are not paying attention. This is one of the easiest ways to be annoying to your sales prospect and it is one of the easiest behaviors to avoid. Do your homework and stay focused.

Your ultimate goal is to make the sale. If you alienate your sales prospect by engaging in behaviors that are annoying, you are, basically, working against yourself. You need your sales prospect to trust you to be knowledgeable and honest, and you want them to feel that you understand what they require. Take a look at your approach. To be successful, make sure to listen, don’t interrupt and pay attention.