1. COMMON MISTAKES MADE BY SALES
PEOPLE AND HOW TO AVOID THEM
JUMA WILLIAM

2. 25 MOST COMMON SALES MISTAKES
AND HOW TO AVOID THEM

3. NO. 1
 NOT BEING OBSESSED
Like what you are doing for a living.
1. Obsession. Dedication to the idea that you
satisfy costumer with product/services. Make
a commitment to yourself, and build up a
routine that is success-oriented.
2. Utilization: Being obsessive about getting the
most from your environment. Research and
meetings.
3. Implementation: Make every effort to be “on”
during every moment you actually
communicate with potential customers.
HOW? Make a to do list; Keep your motivation
up; Start early, and Be obsessed, but disciplined

4. NO. 2
 Not listening to the prospect
You must let the prospect speak about himself
/herself; the information you’ll receive as a results
is invaluable.
Listening is the only way to target the product to
the unique set of problems and concerns the
prospect presents to us.
Focus your questions on three simple areas: the
past, the present, and the future.
Take notes as you listen. The two reinforce each
other.
Apply 7Cs of communication: complete, concise,
clear, concrete, correct, courteous, and considerate

5. NO. 3
 Not empathizing with the prospect
Always make sure you’re making every effort
to see things from the prospect’s point of view.
Treat the prospect with respect, and realize that
you are probably not the most important thing
that’s going to happen to him/her that day.
Ask appropriate questions and carefully
monitor what comes back to you in response.
Make an effort to be sincere.
Make every effort to relearn the enthusiasm and
sincerity that builds trust. This will results into
repeat sales or repeat purchase of the product.

6. NO. 4
 Seeing the prospect as an adversary
This approach is rude, arrogant, antisocial, and
unprofessional.
Advertising world: “The customer is not stupid;
the customer is your spouse.”
Sales: “ The prospect is not an enemy; the
prospect is your fiancé.”
See your prospect as someone you want to do
business with; an associate, someone you can
talk to while you both work to attain goals.
The best selling arises from win-win situations.
A goal as a salesperson is to create mutual trust.

7. NO. 5
 Getting Distracted
It’s so vitally important to make every minute you
actually spend with a prospect count. You must
concentrate on what’s being said; don’t daydream or get
sidetracked.
Remind yourself that, direct or indirect, the prospect is
telling you the single most important thing you will hear
all day: whether or not he/she will buy your product, and
why.
Take notes to help you concentrate; make sure your
briefcase is well organized, with everything you need at
your fingertips.
Try to get a bead on the prospect's interests and
personality.

8. NO. 6
 Not taking notes
Taking proper notes will help you keep the
prospect’s needs in mind and improve your
presentation.
Stages of sales: prospecting, interviewing,
presentation and closing.
Your note-taking reinforces the prospect’s
desire to speak, and this, of course, gives you
more to write. It’s a self-perpetuating cycle.

9. NO. 7
 Failing to follow-up
By taking the time to write a simple, personalized
note on the company , you help the prospect to
remember you and you put your future sales efforts
on a stronger footing.
Your brief typed note serves as a tactful,
professional reminder of your visit, and can
reinforce the positive points of your visit.
Treating current and prospective customers like
professionals worthy of respect is always good
business, it makes a lasting positive impression.
Keeping in touch with prospects and current
customers by mail.

10. NO. 8
 Not keeping in contact with past clients
Help clients to keep you in mind. Past clients will
often come to a point where they need your product
or service again, but don’t remember how to get
back in touch with you!
It’s incumbent upon salesperson to remind potential
customers-tactfully and professionally-that the
salesperson’s company still out there delivering
excellent results.
Keep an organized file of inactive accounts; call or
write key people at these companies on a periodic
basis.
Stay calm, stay friendly, and stay professional.

11. NO. 9
 Not planning the day efficiently
Committing to a daily schedule is of paramount importance; your success
or failure in your area will have a major impact on your overall
performance as a salesperson.
Brief ideas to incorporate:
a. Don’t waste hours you could be speaking with clients
b. Prioritize your goals
c. Leave time for crises
d. Get up fifteen minutes earlier than you do now-and give yourself a
positive charge in the extra time.
e. Buy and use doctor’s appointment book-the kind with the whole day
marked off in fifteen-minute increments.
f. On Friday evening, prepare not only your Monday morning schedule,
but also your thumbnail sketch of the week to come.

12. NO. 10
 Not looking your best
If you’re a prospect, you remember someone
who walks in the door looking sharp. Such a
salesperson makes an instant positive
impression, and has already done a lot to win
respect and trust in those crucial first seconds.
Look sharp.
When it comes to work, stay away from any
piece of clothing that doesn’t instantly
communicate your status as an intelligent,
organized professional.
Things to look impeccable: finger-nails, hair,
shoes, clothing.

13. NO. 11
 Not keeping sales tools organized
Your briefcase should give the impression of
order and precision when opened. It should
contain: your legal pad, business cards, pens;
appropriate product materials and/ or samples; a
hand held calculator; and perhaps your pocket
sized datebook.
Business requires strategy, planning, competition,
intelligence among other things.

14. NO. 12
 Not taking prospect’s point of view
The prospect will be concerned with different
ideas: benefit. Salesperson must emphasize on
this. It is a common mistake to concentrate
instead on features, and subject the prospect to
a barrage of confusing technical information
of limited interest.
If the salesperson focuses on your goals as a
customer, he/she will be speaking your
language-and will be able to communicate
essential facts about the product.
Research your product/service thoroughly
from the prospect’s point of view; isolate
benefits.

15. NO. 13
 Not taking pride in your work
Pinpoint factors that mark you as
superior to your competition. Become
comfortable discussing those factors
in an optimistic way. Talk your
organization up. Mention where you
work and why it’s great at parties,
social gatherings, conventions-
everywhere.
Be proud of where you work, and
what you do for a living. Results will
follow.

16. NO. 14
 Trying to convince, rather than convey
You have to commit to understanding the
problems and concerns of the prospect, not
steamrolling over them.
Demonstrate in a compelling way-how your
product/services can address the relevant
concerns.
You have to convey value and benefit, rather than
convince the prospect that his/her concerns are
unfounded.
Build trust. Emphasize past success. Highlight
solutions to problems. By doing this you’ll
convey the points necessary to get the prospect to
make the right decisions.

17. NO.15
 Underestimating the prospect’s
intelligence
You are a conveyor of information. You
are a conduit. You are the connecting
unit between your business and the end
user.
Prospect has a great deal of knowledge
about-knowledge you need.
You should provide essential
information to the prospect.

18. NO.16
 Not keeping up to date
Knowledge is power. It is to your advantage as
salesperson to have accurate information ahead of
time.
Observing the prospect closely, making an effort
to understand exactly what’s happening at his/her
business (and why), will help you gain a broader
outlook on the whole environment in which your
company operates.
Keep your eyes and ears open, and read essential
publications. The more know, the better off you’ll
be.

19. NO.17
 Rushing the sale
Stages of sales: Qualifying, interviewing, presentation, and
closing.
a. Qualifying/Prospecting/cold calling- contact potential
prospect for product/services.
b. Interviewing- past, present and future with regard to
prospect’s use of your product/service
c. Presentation-showing exactly how your product/services
can help solve the problems identified during the
interview stage. Appealing to past successes.
d. Closing- sale of product or services to customer.
The simplest and most reliable way to lose a sale is to move
from one stage to the next before the prospect is ready to do
so.

20. NO. 18
 Not using people proof
What is people proof?
It’s some of the most powerful ammunition at your disposal.
People proof reinforces positive inclinations toward your
company, and gives people a logical reason to confirm the
emotional decision to do business with you.
Citing other business that has had success with the product or
service you’re offering now, build the trust and confidence
necessary to close the sale.
People proof works wonders. It builds legitimacy in the eyes of
the prospect, and helps you get down to the important business
of solving problems through your products or service.

21. NO. 19
 Humbling yourself
How you look at yourself, of course, has a great deal
to do with how others look at you. This is why a
commitment to ongoing motivational work is so
terribly important.
You must find an internal reservoir of strength,
confidence, and security in your identity as a
professional, and you must convey all that to your
prospect-as an equal.
Have a strong sense of self, of confidence, and of
professional-and have every expectation of the same
from you.

22. NO. 20
 Being fooled by “sure things”
Daydreams on the job are troubling enough, but
what’s even more disturbing is when salespeople
make a big deal out of potential sales that really
aren’t that promising.
Every call you make, and every appointment you
go on, is part of your personal sales cycle-including
the rejections!
Keep your eye on the ball-and don’t get fooled by
“sure things.” Do not become distracted with sales
on the horizon; this reduces your effectiveness in
developing your customer base today.

23. NO. 21
 Taking rejection personally
A rejection is not a personal affront, but rather part of the
overall cycle inherent in any day’s work.
Teach yourself to accept that the fact that the person says
“no” is not a reflection on you, your product, or your
company., but merely in the course of things, you can dust
your-self off and move on to the next prospect.
It’s possible to pick up the resilience and self-assurance
necessary to approach the issue of rejection from a
detached, professional point of view. Accept steady
progress happily.
Try to develop resilience and self-assurance when
confronting rejection; remember that hearing a “no” answer
is the only way to get to a “yes” answer.

24. NO. 22
 Not assuming responsibility
When faced with a “no” answer;
consider asking the customer
where you have gone wrong, or
what mistakes you have made in
their service.

25. No. 23
 Underestimating the importance of
prospecting
Develop good prospecting skills and
work daily to find new customers.
Sales is an up-and- down endeavor. You
never have a base of clients that’s big
enough to last forever. Make
prospecting part of your routine.; block
it off in your schedule.
Book, "cold calling techniques that
really work”.

26. NO. 24
 Focusing on negatives
You must be able to isolate problems, deal
with them, and then get down to business.
Remember, your work-place is where you
must work toward making sales.
Approach obstacles from a positive frame
of mind; avoid negative habits such as
complaining and gossiping.
Stay positive. Stay upbeat. You are your
own greatest asset; focusing on negatives
keeps you from performing at your peak.

27. NO. 25
 Not showing competitive spirit
If you are a salesperson, you are a member of an “army”, and your
“army” is at war, but nobody dies in it.
Common goal: success.
Establish strong “battlefield strategies” and “tactics” that will help your
“army” attain its objectives.
You must be absolutely dedicated to victory in gaining and keeping
satisfied customers, because there is almost certainly someone else out
there who wants those customers just as badly as you do.
How do you develop a competitive spirit?
a. Keep an ear open for intelligence about your business rivals
b. Report problems immediately to superiors
c. Develop a team mentality: success for the firm
d. Set goals and then go all out to attain them-good line communication,
clearly established goals, and deep commitment.

28. THANK YOU ALL FOR

29. REFERENCES
a) Source: http://www.davekahle.com/article/managermistakes.html
b) Source: http://www.business2community.com/sales-management/top-five-
sales-management-mistakes-0905290#LhHsECJ0BBY7hYYO.97
c) Source: https://blog.hubspot.com/sales/the-single-biggest-mistake-sales-
managers-make#sm.0001tbb8semi1cnlq772hi2su00sh
d) http://www.modernsalon.com/article/32523/the-25-most-common-sales-
mistakes
e) Shiffman Stephan (1995): The 25 Most Common Sales Mistakes and How to
Avoid Them