How to Kill a Sale (and Never Even Know Why You Failed)

By Kelly Riggs

There are certain things that average salespeople do over and over that can kill a sale. I know because I’ve done most of them. For some, I’ve been guilty many times. [I’m not hopeless, but I am slow.]

Turns out, however, it’s not just me; most every salesperson makes these same mistakes. Which is sad because every single one of the seven things listed below can be fixed immediately.

If you’re a salesperson, take these seven items and rank yourself 1-10 (from “I never do this” to “I’m guilty just about every time”). If you’re a sales manager, assess your people on these seven items and take steps to make changes in anyone currently making these mistakes.

In either case, BE HARSH on yourself. You simply cannot afford to kid yourself if you’re guilty of these missteps.

7 Bad Sales Habits to Avoid at All Costs

1. Demonstrate a lack of professionalism

Anyone who has been in the sales profession more than a month or two should understand that people buy from people they trust. No trust equals no sale. The problem is that most salespeople do know this (or say they do), but don’t realize the stupid things they are doing that erode trust with a prospect.

Many buyers will kill a deal from the very start if the salesperson doesn’t act and sound like a professional. I won’t go into a lengthy dissertation about what is (and isn’t) professional, but before you skip to the next mistake because you think I’m talking about the way you dress or some other thing, keep reading.

The things that make you a professional are those things that cause a prospect to have confidence in your ability to help, and the sense that you’re there to help instead of sell something. Here are some suggestions:

Be Courteous and Polite.

Be Organized.

Don’t Dominate the Conversation.

Don’t Interrupt. Don’t Condescend.

Don’t Ask Stupid Questions.

Know Your Industry.

Understand the Prospect’s Business.

Know How to Apply Your Products to Real Problems.

This is Sales 101, and if you can’t pass this class your future in sales is bleak.

2. Don’t do your homework before your first call

Few things are more annoying to a buyer than to deal with a salesperson who obviously has no clue. They haven’t done any homework to determine what the prospect does, how the business works, or how their product or service might solve the prospect’s problem (beyond the generic application of the product/service).

What generally happens is the salesperson asks question after question, who has to waste valuable time explaining things about the opportunity they feel the salesperson should already know. Irritated by the lack of preparation, the buyer will often kill the sale before it gets to the launching pad.

3. Talk more than you listen

Of all the challenges with salespeople, this is THE single most common complaint from buyers. Salespeople talk themselves out of more deals than we could ever count. They don’t know how to ask the right questions. They don’t hear the clues that prospects provide. They don’t shut up long enough to give the prospect the opportunity to even provide those clues.

Of all the clichés about salespeople, this is the one that persists all they do is talk, talk, talk.If a prospect doesn’t think you are listening, or only care about telling them what you know, your sale already has one foot in the grave.

4. Sell the product YOU want instead of the product your prospect really needs

Sales managers quite often need to sell specific products or services. They need to turn inventory, or they need to hit a number, or whatever. So, they start pushing salespeople to sell those products or services. They may throw in a bonus, or put together a contest, or increase commissions to “encourage” salespeople to present them more often.

What’s the old saying? “If the only tool you have is a hammer every problem looks like a nail.” The point is the salesperson hits the streets with a mission – to sell those specific products or services – regardless of what the prospect needs. Which is a HUGE mistake.

If you are fixated on selling what you want instead of what the customer wants, your sale is dead already. So, instead, understand what products are in demand and put efforts into selling those. Ensure that you have stocked up those products in bulk. If necessary, take the assistance of supply chain software to manage and track the inventory and product supplies so that your most sellable products don’t go out of stock.

5. Focus only on the features of your product or service

Another sure-fire deal-killer is to sell your prospect a list of “features.” A thirty-minute presentation of every feature of your product or service will cure your prospect’s insomnia problems, I can assure you. It will make them fall asleep faster than the most comfortable mattresses (click here for an example) that can usually be helpful in curing sleeplessness. And even if by chance your prospect is still awake when you finish the presentation, they will politely ask you to leave some information and add the classic line, “We’ll get back to you.”

The prospect is not interested in finding out about your product or service. Not at all. They would, however, love to know what your product or service would do for them. What problem it might solve.

Think I’m kidding? Have you ever made a presentation and noticed that faraway, glassy-eyed stare?

So, you can do that for your prospect.

Just be prepared to give away a lot of brochures.

6. Don’t agree on “next steps”

This deal-killer is insidious; it’s like a slow-acting poison. When a salesperson fails to set the next appointment and/or fails to gain agreement on exactly what needs to happen next, a potential sale can languish until it ultimately dies.Have you ever found yourself calling a prospect over and over, hoping to set a follow-up appointment or asking if they’ve reviewed your proposal?

It can be the worst feeling in the world – you have no idea where you stand, and you have no idea how to move the process forward. The reality is you have likely done a poor job in a number of areas – determining buying motives, establishing value, qualifying the account, etc. – but failing to set down the “next steps,” for both you and the prospect, has left you completely boxed in.

As Trinity said in the opening scene of The Matrix, “Your people are already dead.”

And so is your sale.

7. Don’t follow-up effectively

This late-breaking sale-killer is enough to make a grown man cry. You do everything well, your prospect is interested in what you have to offer, and they ask you for additional information.Unfortunately, you drag your feet. You’re busy or…something. Meanwhile, a competitor slips in and puts you into the wall on the last lap.

Remember, a deal isn’t done until you get something signed. Before, and until, that point you could be in trouble. Make sure you follow up in a timely manner. In today’s business climate, speed is everything. If winning the sale is the objective.

So, as a sales professional, you can get better in a hurry if you want to – just correct these obvious errors.

But, it takes time to change bad habits. You will have to consciously think about each of these issues and address them in each and every call.

Again, don’t kid yourself. It’s very easy to make excuses for your failure.

And your competitors are hoping you do exactly that.