3 Mistakes You Might Be Making in Sales

When You Think You Are Doing the Right Thing

Every entrepreneur that I talk with would like to increase sales. Increasing sales means making more money. Increasing sales means being able to serve more people and have a bigger impact in the world. However, when our goal is to increase sales without carefully planning and paying attention to the process, we can ultimately damage the relationship. And relationship and connection is really the foundation for sales. Here are three mistakes you might be making in sales, when you think you are doing the right thing:

Going too Fast

Too often in our fast paced culture we are wired for speed. We expect delivery the next day. We expect immediate service and fast answers to problems. Sometimes though slow is better than fast. Ever been to a restaurant thinking you would have a leisurely meal and had the food delivered within a few minutes? Then felt rushed to turn the table for the next customer? Have you had a doctor’s appointment and felt the five minutes you were given didn’t answer your questions or give you a thorough exam? It depends on the product or the service that you are providing but when you give time and attention to someone, not only are they more likely to buy but they are also more likely to be satisfied and return.

• Solution: Take the time in your initial contact to evaluate the purpose, the needs and the desires of the customer so that you know you are on the right track to meet their expectations. Don’t assume you know what your customer wants without asking. Are they looking for something fast? Or is quality more important than time?

Saying Yes to Everything and Everyone

This is often the mistake of the new entrepreneur who has not clearly defined their ideal customer. If you have not narrowed down who you serve as well as the specific talents and skills that you bring to the table, then the tendency is to say yes to everything in order to have business. Soon the entrepreneur is overwhelmed with too much work and not enough time in the day to complete it all. In the long run this will cause you to lose customers because you have grown too fast without the resources in time or perhaps product or supplies to meet the needs. Customers become disillusioned with the poor quality of service and don’t return.

• Solution: A better option is to determine the optimum amount of work that you are able to handle given current resources and once you reach your limit, offer to put someone on a waiting list until you have the available time. While customers may search out someone else during the time on the waiting list, this is a better option than having customers withdraw because they are dissatisfied with the service. Customers understand being on a waiting list. They don’t understand being told you will provide a product or service then getting put off for days or weeks with excuses as to why things aren’t completed.

Not Following Up

You don’t want to bother or pester someone, so you wait for them to contact you. You are afraid you will seem pushy or too salesy so you don’t stay in touch. Unfortunately, many times customers actually want and need you to follow up. They may want what you have to offer but they’ve lost your contact information. Or they mean to take advantage of your offer, but just don’t get around to calling. Or they think you are too busy and don’t want to bother you!. Following up simply means building a relationship. You are providing a service, when you check in to see how you can help.

• Solution: Develop a regular and when possible automatic system of follow up for each potential customer. This might begin with an email, followed by a phone call or text message or a card. Give potential customers a clear way to contact you and get on your schedule for a 1:1 meeting via Zoom or in person. Finally be clear about what they could learn or gain by meeting with you.