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Killing the Sale

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Killing the Sale

The 10 Fatal Mistakes Salespeople Make & How To Avoid Them

Thomas Nelson,

15 min read
10 take-aways
Audio & text

What's inside?

Identify, eliminate and remedy the 10 most common mistakes sales professionals make.

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Editorial Rating

7

Qualities

  • Applicable

Recommendation

Instead of writing a sales how-to book, sales guru Todd Duncan has taken a slightly different tack and written a what-not-to-do book. He identifies the 10 most common fatal mistakes salespeople make every day in every business. These oft-overlooked errors in approach and strategy can chase away sales and, in the worst cases, destroy careers. Duncan explains how common blunders such as asking for the sale before establishing a connection ("begging") or failing to ask questions to ascertain your client's needs ("arguing") often kill the sale. If you've read even a few books about sales techniques in the last decade, you are familiar with much of what Duncan preaches. In fact, he has addressed the topic in other ways in his previous books, but his sales advice is solid. getAbstract believes it will be helpful to the sales neophyte, and can serve as a handy refresher for experienced salespeople.

Summary

"10 Fatal Mistakes"

Everyone makes mistakes. Problem is, in the sales profession, all-too-human mistakes have repercussions that can wound or even kill your career. The 10 most common sales mistakes are "hyping, posing, tinkering, moonlighting, muscling, arguing, gambling, begging, skimming and stagnating." If you want to build a long, productive and lucrative sales career, take a good look at these common pitfalls so you can eliminate them from your practice.

"Mistake #1: Hyping"

Hyping is the practice of looking outside yourself for sales-boosting guidance such as sales seminars, self-help books, cassettes or other how-to-sell merchandise. You may find value in using these external motivators to improve your skills and hone your techniques. But don't rely on them; in the long term, only internal motivators can sustain you. Discover your "core motives" for selling - that is, determine what factors drive you to be a good salesperson.

Many people claim to be in the sales profession for money or status. Although successful salespeople do earn money and status, these are not core motivations. To discover your internal inspiration for selling, try an exercise...

About the Author

Todd Duncan, who wrote the bestseller High Trust Selling, is an expert on sales and work-life balance. He consults, conducts seminars, and publishes tapes and books.


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