Most sales reps do not want to seem like one of those pushy salespeople. But they may unwittingly come across that way if they are not careful. Usually, it’s bad habits that make a salesperson come off this way, specifically pushy sales tactics. Luckily, habits can be broken. In a recent HubSpot article, Leslie Ye shares with readers how to masterfully walk the line between being pushy and being persistent. She lists 15 bad habits that are common among pushy reps.

The Bad Habits of Pushy Salespeople

Not calling or emailing with new updates

You may think that staying in touch, no matter what, keeps you top-​of-​mind with your clients. However, that practice has proven to be among the top tactics of pushy salespeople.

Why is it pushy? While you may be staying top-​of-​mind, it's not for a good reason. To your clients and prospects, you are becoming known as the salesperson who won’t stop calling them. If you don't have anything valuable to offer your clients or prospective customers, don't reach out to them. Only reach out if you have something new to share that will benefit them. Otherwise, you are adding zero value.

Keeping the prospect on the phone

You finally got him or her to pick up! This is a fantastic opportunity for you! Now you may think the key to landing a sale is to make the conversation go on…and on…and on. The longer they're on the phone, the more interested they will be in your product or service, right?

Wrong. It's another tactic of pushy salespeople. Your prospect is a busy person, just like you hopefully are. Instead of dragging out a conversation, find out if the prospect is a good fit for your product or service. If they are, fantastic! Schedule a future call to discuss business when they have time set aside to give you and your product their full attention. This shows respect for the prospect and his or her time, which they will be grateful for. 

Talking fast and furiously 

Too many sales reps think that talking fast shows their enthusiasm for what they are selling. So, they should talk in an excited tone (AKA, to them, quickly and often incoherently). And this sometimes includes cutting the prospect off mid-​sentence because they think they know what the prospect is going to say. Talk about being one of those pushy salespeople.

It’s great that you’re excited about your product or service. But, as Ye points out, “blazing through a conversation creates the impression that you're just waiting until your prospect's done speaking so you can talk again. Cutting prospects off is a no-​no as well — in fact, the less you speak, the more useful information you're likely to get.”

These are just a few of the tactics pushy salespeople use that Ye discusses, and while all are done with the best intentions, they don’t do you any good. Keep from falling into the “pushy salesperson” stereotype by comparing your own actions to those in her list. We have our own list of behaviors that prospects don't like about sales reps in our Voice of the Buyer survey. Avoid these behaviors, show prospects you are excited to sell, and respect their time.