7 years ago
June 13, 2017

5 Bad Sales Habits to Avoid

As a sales rep, it can be easy to fall into bad habits that can hurt your performance. Here are 5 Bad Sales Habits to Avoid.

Rhys Metler

Success in sales is about taking the right approach, building strong relationships, and having a knack for correctly reading the situation. It’s really about using the resources you have at hand to help your customers solve a problem and positioning your product/service as the resolution.

However, sales is nowhere near as simple as it sounds. Sales reps, in pursuit of closing the deal and attaining their sales goals, often lose sight of best practices and develop some bad habits along the way. These bad habits can manifest and impact your ability to achieve success in the industry.

Here are some common sales bad habits that could be inhibiting your ability to achieve more:

Bad Sales Habits to Avoid

1. Putting prospecting on the back burner:

There is no shortage of sales reps who will tell you they do not enjoy prospecting. They want to focus on sales and closing qualified leads. But when you fail to prospect, you could see your sales funnel dry up rather quickly.

2. Not qualifying leads:

While it can be tempting to try to sell to everyone and anyone, the truth is the products/services you are selling are likely designed for a specific market segment. Straying from this focus and casting a wider sales net may get you more nibbles, but how likely are you to convert these unqualified leads?

3. Making assumptions:

Never make assumptions about a prospect’s situation or needs. This is information you need to spend time collecting as you build your relationship with the customer. Making assumptions could create misalignment and cause a prospect to look elsewhere for a solution.

4. Not being prepared for push back:

Objections are part of the sales process. Sales reps should expect them at any point in the sales process, and be prepared to deal with them and offer counter-solutions to keep the customer engaged and interested.

5. Not trusting the process:

When things get tough or when a customer shows some concern, many sales reps have a tendency to move on to other “more promising” opportunities. Persistence is key in sales. Not all of your customers will be ready to buy or even entertain your solution when you approach them. Always follow up.

 

More Sales Tips and Best Practices

10 Sales Questions to Quickly Identify Your Customer’s Needs

5 Things to Never Say When Making a Sales Pitch

5 Ways to Attract New Sales Clients

 


SalesForce Search is a sales recruiting company which specializes in the recruitment and placement of sales professionals. We recruit sales people in every sector of the economy including, software, manufacturing, financial services and medical devices. Find the right sales person for your organization, start your search here.

Rhys Metler

Rhys is a tenacious, top performing Senior Sales Recruiter with 15+ years of focused experience in the Digital Media, Mobile, Software, Technology and B2B verticals. He has a successful track record of headhunting top performing sales candidates for some of the most exciting brands in North America. He is a Certified Recruitment Specialist (CRS) and has expert experience in prospecting new business, client retention/renewals and managing top performing sales and recruitment teams. Rhys enjoys spending quality time with his wife, son, and daughters, BBQing on a hot summer day and tropical vacations.

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