4 Mistakes Salespeople Make That Stress Out Prospects

Sales is all about building relationships and making prospects feel comfortable with you – but unfortunately, too many salespeople are doing the exact opposite. We’ve all been on the receiving end of inept cold calls and off-putting sales pitches. But is your sales team making these same mistakes and putting unneeded stress on your prospects?

Here are a few of the most common mistakes that salespeople make to stress out, irritate, and turn off  prospects:

• Push too hard, too soon: It’s good to be aggressive as a salesperson, but not too aggressive. Salespeople are known for being highly motivated hard chargers, but if you’re pushing too hard, you’re going to alienate your sales prospects and make them unlikely to say “yes” to your offer. If your salespeople are chomping at the bit to close the deal before they’ve barely started to build rapport, they’re going to drive customers away. What should you do instead? Channel that aggressive energy in a productive direction. Instead of acting aggressively toward customers, turn that energy inward to keep you motivated in making cold calls and doing your lead generation and appointment setting activity. Keep pushing. Stay aggressive. But don’t show aggression to your customers – they should see salespeople who are there to solve their problems and listen to their concerns in a calm and forthright manner.
• Talk more than you listen: Speaking of “listening to customers’ concerns” – a common misconception in sales is that all salespeople need to be “good talkers.” While verbal dexterity and a quick wit can be helpful in sales, an even more important skill is knowing how to listen. Make the conversation about the prospect, not about you. Show the customer that you care about what they are saying, you are processing the details of their specific situation, and you’re able to recommend solutions based on the customer’s problems. Too many salespeople talk up a storm, without ever stopping to catch their breath – then when the customer gets a word in, the salesperson realizes that they’ve been on the wrong track throughout the entire “conversation.” You’ll get farther, faster with customers if you know how to listen. Take time to hear what the customer is saying and “read between the lines” to uncover the customer’s unstated needs. They might have deeper challenges and bigger opportunities than you could have uncovered from your initial conversation.
• Ask about budget: This can be one of the biggest blunders in lead generation. Many salespeople put undue stress on prospects by asking them too soon or too directly, “What’s your budget?” or “How much are you planning to spend?” If you’re still in the early stages of the sales process with a new customer, you don’t want to put them on the defensive by assuming too much. Asking about budget makes the prospect think that you are expecting them to close the deal – and because you’re assuming so much, so soon, the prospect is going to feel anxious and start to pull back from talking with you. Talking about your prospect’s budget is an art form and you have to gradually work your way up to that stage of the conversation. It’s best to frame the conversation not in terms of “budget” and “what the client will pay,” but instead show the client the “results” and “ROI” that they can expect to see. If the solution works and delivers good value, then the client will be happy to spend whatever it takes.
• Never take “no” for an answer: Some prospects say they’re “not interested” when what they really mean is, “We’re not interested right now, but maybe we can talk again in six months.” So it’s important to be persistent and keep nurturing sales leads over the long term. However, some prospects really mean it when they say “no,” and they’re never going to be a good fit for your solution. As part of your process of qualifying sales leads, you need to graciously let go of these uninterested prospects without hassling them any further. A prospect that gets repeatedly called or contacted even after having said “no” is going to be annoyed with you and your company, and might even spread the word about your overbearing sales tactics in a way that harms your company’s reputation.

Don’t let these simple sales mistakes drive away your prospects. Instead, take it slow. Work through your sales process with a long-term approach, letting go of your less-qualified prospects, nurturing your sales leads that have long-term potential, and moving on from the ones who say “no.” Develop a ranking system for your sales leads so you know which ones are which.

And most of all: make sure you’re listening to your customers, making the conversations about “them” and not about “you.” If you focus on your customers’ needs, you’ll never stress them out or annoy them – and they’ll keep coming back to you for more sales.