Three Common Mistakes You Need to Avoid to Increase Sales

BY Rachel Cagle
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You may know your products/​services backward and forward, but if you're making these three sales mistakes based on Christopher Ryan's article, "Stop Making It Hard For People To Buy: Six Barriers That Prevent Revenue Growth," you may be sabotaging your sale.

  • Offering Too Little

Just like you conducted research on your prospect before reaching out to arrange a meeting, the prospect will likely be doing some studying of their own. They’ll want to know more about who you are to get a sense of whether or not they’d be comfortable to buy from you before you even meet face-​to-​face. If during your initial outreach you mentioned the specific product or service you’d like to talk to them about, they’ll probably try to get some information on that too. So, make sure what they need is available to them. Make your information easy to find and up-​to-​date (LinkedIn profile, company profile, etc.) and also send the client some quick reading about the product or service you’re meeting about. As Ryan said, “The last thing you want is for a potential buyer to search online and stumble upon your competitor.”

  • Offering Too Much

Do not go into a meeting not knowing which product or service this potential client needs most. If your pitch is made up of throwing a massive number of buying options their way hoping that one will stick, you’ll only overwhelm the client. Which is easier to choose from: two options or ten? Save both of you some time and simplify the buying process by only pitching the few products that your research has shown you the client will mostly likely be interested in.

  • Talking Too Much

A lot of salespeople are worried about saying too little in a pitch, thinking that it may leave holes in the crucial knowledge a customer needs to make the decision to buy. In reality, not filling up the entire meeting with a monologue leaves room for your client’s questions, and questions help engage the client. What is destructive is saying too much during a pitch. The end of a sales pitch is often accompanied by silence from the potential client as they think over their next move. If you let that silence spook you, you’ll attempt to fill it with unnecessary information. This will not only make it seem like you’re rambling and therefore somewhat ill-​prepared and nervous, you’re also distracting the client from making their decision. Practice your pitch so that it contains only the information the client needs. Cut the filler, keep it concise, and leave time at the end for your client to ask questions and think. Silence is not always a bad thing.


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