6 Bad Habits of Every Salesperson

Sales are an incredibly important part of business but the word can fill consumers with dread. From cold calling to refusing to accept no as an answer, certain methods have meant this sector has garnered a pretty bad reputation.

Poor sales techniques don't just annoy customers but can actually reduce productivity in your business and demoralize staff.

But this doesn't have to be the way. Your salespeople can avoid picking up these bad habits and practice effective techniques that won't alienate or annoy your customers.

Casting a wide net

Following up any lead that comes your way isn't how modern sales works. Consumers expect you to know what matters to them and offer realistic solutions for them. Focus on your key personas and build your pitch around them and their pain points.

Misunderstanding your audience

If you get key facts wrong about your leads, they are going to lose trust in your ability to deliver on what you're promising. You need to do research to understand what your personas want from your company and how your product or service can solve this.

Following up too quickly

It can be exciting to get what you think is a really strong lead through, but contacting them as soon as they've shown an interest can be a rookie mistake. You still need to put in the ground work to understand them better before going further with the sale.

Making assumptions

If you go into a call assuming that a customer will react in a certain way or want specific things, you're making a huge error. Yes, you may have done your research, but it's important to ask questions during your sales pitch rather than assuming you know all the answers.

Not being prepared for rejection

People are going to say no at some point during your call and you need to be prepared for this. Play devil's advocate with your own sales pitch and find solutions for all of the hesitations consumers may express.

Keeping good ideas to yourself

Sales departments can be incredibly competitive but holding onto good ideas or techniques is a mistake. The most effective teams work together to achieve their goals and salespeople are no different. Share the knowledge; it helps you become a better professional and a nicer colleague.