This document outlines common mistakes that salespeople make and provides advice on how to be more successful. It suggests that salespeople should: 1) Spend at least two-thirds of their time cultivating leads and prospects rather than just selling; 2) Not give up on prospects too early after only one call; and 3) Focus on understanding prospects' businesses in order to contribute value rather than just making friends.

2. Build social media policy to the employees in order to
behave responsibly themselves online , during work
hours and after
Forgetting that sales is a numbers game
Successful salespeople spend as little as one-third of their
time selling. The other two-thirds are spent cultivating leads
and prospects. You need to work consistently hard to keep a
constant flow of leads and prospects in the pipeline.
Forgetting sales is a numbers game

3. Giving up too early
Around 40% sales reps make one call and stop. 12 follow up more
than 4 times and make the most of sales. How soon do you give
up?

4. Making friends, not prospects
Remember your friends may not always be the best prospects.
While looking to develop good relationships with all of your
contacts is laudable, much more important is a clear focus upon
each and every prospect. Spend your time with the best
prospects, not the prospects that like you best.

5. Talking more than the prospect
The more prospects talk the more you learn. The best sales reps
get their customers so involved in the sales process that they
do most of the talking – the salesperson simply becomes a
facilitator.

6. Not learning the prospect’s business
More often than not prospects know when you haven’t made an
effort as a sales rep to understand your business. Why is this
important? Because how can you make a useful contribution to
their business if you don’t understand it!

7. Not winning the customer’s confidence
People basically believe in people. Fail to win their confidence
and you’ll fail to sell.

8. Not selling the company
Remember there are always three sales to be made – the product,
the salesperson, and the credibility and reliability of the
company behind them.

9. Many salespeople tend to give
up opportunities too soon
Not joining the customer’s team
People these days are looking for consultative partners who
will contribute some additional knowledge and expertise to
their team. Helping customers directly address business
challenges is what makes the difference between a peddler and
consultant.

10. Many salespeople tend to give
up opportunities too soon
Not creating a “benefits vision” for the customer
The most successful salespeople work diligently to build in the
minds of their customers a clear, compelling vision of the
benefits of everything they sell.

11. Not going that extra mile
All of us are at our best when we are on the brink of closing a
deal with a prospect – especially the first deal. What counts is
how you behave when the sale is done. Do you deliver? Do you
keep your promises? If your follow-through is poor, your follow-up
sales will be too!