Common Sales Mistakes Part 3

Guest post by: Sue Barrett
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How Your Procurement Practices Affect Your Sales and Brand - By Sue Barrett

As markets tighten I thought we could reflect on some lessons learnt in the past by highly experienced, successful sales people. The following lessons are from some of the participants of my ‘Sell like a woman' research project and make for interesting reading in ‘what not to do' in sales. Here is the 3rd part of a 3 part series on common sales mistakes.

1. Thinking small

My worst mistake early in sales was to think small about what we can achieve. If I had realised three years ago what sales we could achieve, we would have grown much faster. Realising that we are always barely scratching the surface of what is possible means we stay hungry for achieving the next level of success. [Sharon]

2. Taking on too much

Getting overtired and taking situations personally. This has been a constant battle to keep ego out of both my successes and failures. [Debbie]

My worst mistakes would be trying to take on too much - this compromises my energy and focus and little mistakes would happen like forgetting an appointment, etc. [Deanne]

Taking on too much work, not being able to say ‘no', and building a business around me. [Kelly]

3. Lacking confidence

Over promising in the early days. Not being 100% sure of the product or company service limitations and this affected my credibility. When I was still "bluffing" it while learning the ropes, one of the Managers pointed out that I did not seem authentic. I thought I was portraying confidence. I learnt better to be humble and to be open about not knowing certain aspects of what you are selling. [Stephanie]

Not calling high enough. There is always that feeling that at a certain level someone will not want to talk to you. That's usually incorrect, and always needs to be tested. [Kate]

"Lack of belief- in yourself, the product or company. If you don't believe, why should your client?" Trudy

4. Not prospecting

Expecting my network to build without actively networking! Stupid huh! [Melissa]

Thinking our brand and advertising would sell us in and people would call us everyday. I just sat there for the 1st 4 months of my sales job wondering what I was supposed to do. No one was calling. It was a rude awaking to being in sales. [Lisa]

5. Complacency

Not converting a sale when I had the chance. After a great meeting, there were times when I became slightly complacent and left getting a signed contract until the deadline, rather than following up fairly quickly for a decision. It certainly adds a greater level of stress when it's all done at the last minute! Now I diarise follow-up immediately. [Kirsten]

Happy selling

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How Your Procurement Practices Affect Your Sales and Brand - By Sue Barrett

About the Author: Sue Barrett

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'Selling is everybody's business and everybody lives by selling something' so says Sue Barrett, sales expert, writer, business speaker and adviser, facilitator, sales coach, training provider and entrepreneur. Sue founded Barrett in 1995 to positively transform the culture, capability and continuous learning of leaders, teams and businesses by developing sales driven organisations that are equipped for the 21st Century. Since inception, Barrett has worked with hundreds of Australian companies challenging thinking to create compelling reasons and continuous learning pathways for people and organisations to develop their skills, knowledge and mindsets to create the shifts they want and ensure they are well informed and equipped for the sales journey ahead.
Sue is one of the leading voices commenting on sales today. Sue has a unique way of getting to the heart of the matter - she combines extensive knowledge, research, insight, and practical experience with a deep sense of compassion to bring forth a more enlightened way of thinking and participating in the world. This makes her stand out from the usual crowd of existing business commentators.

Her ability to distill complex ideas and relate them to life's everyday challenges and opportunities has audience members and readers leaving with a stronger understanding of "self" and how they can begin to achieve excellence through purposeful action. Presenting and writing on a wide range of topics about the world of 21st Century selling Sue's presentations and articles include sales philosophy and culture, sales leadership and coaching, sales training, selling skills, resilience, neuroscience in selling and more. Sue's articles are some of the most widely read in Australia and she is gaining a following overseas as well. Besides publishing on Barrett Sales Blog site, Sue has been the lead sales writer for www.smartcompany.com.au since 2007, and is also regularly published on other highly regarded publications such as Australian Anthill Magazine, Niche Magazine, Marketing Mag, Business Chicks, and Business Deals.

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