Start being a better sales representative today. Avoid these top ten sales mistakes at all cost so you can close more deals and generate more revenue.

Great selling takes a balance of the right personality traits and the right skill set. Though it’s difficult to change your personality, you can strengthen your skills by avoiding fatal sales mistakes that are going to cost you the sale. When you avoid these ten sales mistakes, you can become a better sales rep.

1. Being Aggressive

It’s 2015! No one wants to deal with an aggressive sales person, even if that approach may have worked in the past. When you’re pushy, your clients are going to feel pressured, and they’ll start feeling negatively towards you and your company. This is one of the most common sales mistakes.

2. Not Focusing on the Client

This is one of those sales mistakes that happens a lot with seasoned reps. The sales meeting isn’t actually about you, your company, or what you’re selling. It’s about the client. So stop focusing your efforts on what you’re selling and instead concentrate on how your products or services can help your client accomplish his goals or fix his current problems.

3. Not Qualifying Leads

Why waste your time? If you’re not qualifying leads, that’s exactly what you’re doing. You’re trying to sell something to someone who can’t afford it, who isn’t interested, or who isn’t ready to purchase yet. Before you put all your eggs in a client’s basket, make sure he has the budget, ability, desire, and authority to purchase what you’re selling.

4. Not Listening

It’s not just about hearing what the client is telling you—it’s about listening to what the client is saying beneath those words. He’s telling you what he wants and you have to be listening intently in order to fill the client’s needs and close the sale.

5. Not Doing Customer Research

You need to know whom you’re selling to, what his position is, what his duties are, and even what his budget, and likes and dislikes are. The more you know, the better you can communicate and the more likely you are to hit those buttons you need to in order to get the sale.

6. Being Unprepared

Saying “I don’t know” is OK sometimes—it’s better than lying. But being prepared and being able to answer pertinent questions that your client is asking you is even better. Know what you’re selling, do your research ahead of time and anticipate all questions that might come up so you can be as prepared as possible once they come up. This is one of those sales mistakes rookies tend to make often.

7. Not Establishing a Relationship

You can’t just jump into bed with someone—you have to get to know each other first. The same approach applies to business. If you want to make a sale, you have to build a relationship with the client first. Don’t rush the sale. Educate the client, answer questions, chat a bit, and then talk business. Your client will feel more comfortable and will thus be more likely to purchase what you’re selling.

8. Rambling On

Why have you been talking about your cat for the past five minutes? Stop! You’ve gotten way off topic and you’re wasting your client’s time. This is one of the sales mistakes those talkative reps tend to make.

9. Not Following Up

If a client has not bought what you’re selling—don’t give up. This is one of the worst sales mistakes. There are a variety of reasons why he may not have been interested in purchasing at that time. You still established a relationship so maintain it by following up later on.

10. Not Prospecting

Even if you have a full roster of clients, you should still be prospecting new customers—all the time. Devote some time each week to finding new prospects to go after.

These sales mistakes can cost you valuable business. Many great reps make sales mistakes. But when you avoid these ten common sales mistakes, you can be on your way to better selling.