“Wherever you are struggling with something that didn’t go well or isn’t going well, reach out, get what you need from someone and move forward.” – Meshell Baker in today’s Tip 1519
What are some common sales mistakes that people make?
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1477: The ABC’s of Sales – HELP
1484: The ABC’s of Sales – IMAGINATION
1498: The ABC’s of Sales – JOURNALING
1505: The ABC’s of Sales – KNOWLEDGEABLE
1512: The ABC’s of Sales – LAUGHTER
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Transcript
Scott Ingram: You’re listening to the Daily Sales Tips podcast and I’m your host, Scott Ingram. Today Meshell Baker, the Sales Confidence Igniter, is back with the next installment of her multi-part series. Here she is:
Meshell Baker: Hello and welcome to the ABCs of sales. Today’s letter is M and M is for Mistakes. So if you’ve been working in sales for at least a day, you’ve more than likely made a mistake. Mistakes are inevitable in any career path, and they are definitely inevitable in sales. The misnomer or misunderstanding about mistakes is that trying not to make mistakes will make you more successful. When the truth or in actuality, successful salespeople make more mistakes than unsuccessful salespeople.
Why? Because unsuccessful salespeople put the bulk of their focus and energy on avoiding mistakes, whereas successful salespeople put the bulk of their focus and energy on making continual attempts at reaching their goals. It is a mindset shift. It is not a mistake. It is a continual attempt at reaching your goal. Knowing that you are an imperfect person is your power and that you are just getting better and better every way, every day with every mistake is a stepping stone towards your success.
So here are some of the common sales mistakes;
Incorrect price quotes, inaccurate service or product explanation, misunderstanding the customer’s needs and proposing the wrong solution, misunderstanding the customer decision-making process, and failing to develop a relationship with key customer decision-makers. Hey, we have all done it. What you need to remember that no matter how big or small the mistake, it doesn’t impact your career.
Here are a couple of people who made big huge mistakes at the beginning of their careers and became incredibly successful; Walt Disney, Oprah Winfrey, Thomas Edison, Marilyn Monroe, Richard Branson, and Sarah Blakely. So if you made mistakes, don’t let it negatively impact your confidence. Learn from it and grow.
Here are a couple of key points to think about as you are reflecting on any mistakes you’ve made that you are holding on to and continually feeling bad about. It is time to let go of that shame and embarrassment and utilize that energy to focus towards your sales success.
Number one, there is no change without pain. Every failure in sales is built around a simple concept. Either the pain was not great enough for the customer to make the change, or the proposed solution didn’t solve their problem. Keep moving. The key is to learn and continue to refine your ability to understand your prospects and adapt to their pain so that you are able to solve for it.
Number two, you can always learn and grow from an experience. It is often said that the greatest mistake a person can make is being afraid to make one. Learn and keep going.
Number three, understand where you failed and help apply this lesson to future opportunities. Every failure is a learning experience. When we experience a loss, we regroup and understand where we lost the opportunity and how we can apply that to the next situation, to the next client, to the next deal.
Keep moving. Admitting failure can humanize you. Many times when you are in integrity and you actually tell your clients that you failed, you made a mistake, you’re late, you didn’t quote properly, they will be humanized when you do it from a place of confidence, not from a place of fear, constantly apologizing.
Finally, five, failure is a catalyst for improvement and success. It humbles you and lets you see where there’s an opportunity to grow, to ask questions, to reach out to your supervisor, to read a book, to do a podcast, to do a training. It just shows you the gap and where you are and where you want to be and is meant to catalyze you to your success.
Again, wherever you are struggling with something that didn’t go well or isn’t going well, reach out, get what you need from someone and move forward. You are a master seller. Have a great day.
Scott Ingram: Don’t make the mistake of not connecting with Meshell. To do that, just click click over to DailySales.Tips/1519. Once you’ve done that, be sure to come back tomorrow for another great sales tip. Thanks for listening