10 Things That Can Get in the Way of Closing More Deals
Sales is all about overcoming obstacles. A successful sale rarely happens on the first contact, the first pitch, and without any negotiation. The folks who make a great living in sales do so because they’ve taught themselves not to let those obstacles stand in their way.
But navigating your way to success in sales can be tricky, as not every obstacle clearly appears as one. You need to learn how to spot the things that get in the way of closing more business. If you want to make more money in sales, use an AI-powered sales automation CRM like Spiro and avoid these ten things that get in the way of closing more deals:
1. Your co-workers
It might sound awful to say about the people you work with, but sometimes they are the reason why you’re not doing better. Salespeople are a talkative bunch, and a sales floor is usually a really fun place to work. But those same benefits can cost you money when you spend more time goofing around or catching up than you do selling. If you want to be the best, keep your head down and work hard, and joke around only after you’ve crushed everyone else on the board.
2. Talking
We’ve written about it before, but listening is much more important in sales than talking is. If you become a good listener, you’ll become a great salesperson. Let the prospect speak long enough, and they’ll tell you everything you need to know to close the deal.
3. Meetings
Very rarely do meetings help you close more deals. More oftentimes than not, they take you away from productive work and put you behind schedule with your prospecting. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos has a rule for meetings called the “2 Pizza Rule” which aims to make meetings shorter and more productive. The rule says that no meeting should ever have more attendees than could be fed with two pizzas.
4. Social Media
You probably found this article on Facebook or LinkedIn, so we won’t be too hard on you about this one, but social media can be a huge distraction when it comes to closing deals. While a powerful marketing tool, we tend to spend too much time consuming content and not enough time producing it. Make sure to limit your intake of social if you want to be the best.
5. Doubts
Our minds can be our own worst enemy in sales. Doubting yourself is toxic, especially because it takes so much confidence to deal with as much rejection as most salespeople do on a regular basis. But the way to get over your own doubts is to take action, and not let those negative thoughts intrude into your day.
6. Reputation
Your reputation is something you can control, but the company you work for may have a reputation that affects your performance. If you work for a company that gets some bad press, or bad online reviews, or simply in an industry that has a bad perception from the public, it can absolutely get in the way of your success, so choose wisely.
7. Data entry
Logging data into your CRM and updating the database with every minutiae of your day can be exhausting and unproductive. Time spent entering data is time spent not selling. Luckily, tools like Spiro can do a lot of that work for you and let you spend more time making money.
8. Spending time with the wrong prospects
One of the worst things a salesperson can do with their time is spend it on someone who is either not qualified to buy their product, isn’t the decision maker, or has no use for it. Taking the time up front to qualify a prospect is as important as what your pitch is when it comes to closing more deals. Do the right work up front and you’ll reap the rewards down the line.
9. Market forces
Another aspect of sales that is beyond your control is the state of the market and how your product fits into the economic ecosystem. If you were a typewriter salesperson when the personal computer started gaining traction, you weren’t exactly in the best place to maximize results. When choosing a new sales job, consider the state of the industry so you can be better positioned to ride the wave.
10. Ego
As with so much else in life, you can be your own worst enemy in sales. Personalities and egos clash constantly, and prevent otherwise competent salespeople from closing more deals. There’s a well-known expression: “Win the argument and lose the sale.” Make sure you know which one is more important to you.
