8, Awful, All-Too-Common Sales Habits. (And What To Do Instead)
By Randy Illig
Not long ago, two colleagues and I found ourselves in an online meeting, cornered by three wildly overzealous sales professionals. They were selling a tool my company was evaluating, and their pitch behavior was so bizarrely unhinged, I half-expected Lorne Michaels to walk in and yell, "Cut! Great rehearsal, everyone!"
Imagine two colleagues and me, being bombarded with obvious, leading questions delivered with over-the-top enthusiasm from a group of aggressive salespeople whose sole aim was to get us to agree with them. They even demanded that we answer these leading questions out loud with an enthusiastic “Yes!”
I found myself laughing, which I think they took to mean I was enjoying myself. I wasn’t. Back-channeling in a chat while the meeting rolled on, I told my colleagues I wanted dibs on documenting this experience for an article.
No, we did not buy what they were selling. In fact, we couldn’t get off the call fast enough!
Sadly, I work in sales, not stand-up. I’ve never hosted SNL nor do I have the ability to turn my awful experience into comedy gold. But, this extreme example of bad sales behavior did get me thinking about the more subtle missteps we all make from time to time.
Here are nine tips on what not to do at your next pitch meeting:
Focusing on yourself, not the client: Sales is a high-pressure job. We’ve all met the sales rep offering a deal, pushing to book a commission before quarter-end or to meet an internal target. Too many salespeople lack self-awareness and basic customer service skills to recognize how this kind of “this deal is only good until March 30” arbitrary deadline pressure comes off as entirely self-serving to the potential client.
Social climbing: Perhaps you’ve witnessed a salesperson who tries to cut others out of decision-making after they’ve developed a relationship with a senior executive. This feels sleazy and untrustworthy. And it is self-defeating since most larger B2B sales happen by committee; everyone on that team is a likely influencer. Instead, take the time to understand the needs of everyone in the decision tree. Build each relationship as a trustworthy advisor whose mission is to help the client succeed rather than undermining those in the trenches once you have a sightline to a quick sale.
Not matching the prospect’s energy level: Failing to connect energetically with your prospect is a major turnoff. If someone exhibits caution and restraint, don’t try to pull them into artificial enthusiasm. When your prospect is relaxed and casual, don’t be too formal, coming off as stuffy and superior. If your prospect talks slowly, don’t rush them. Above anything else, meetings are a time to connect and empathize. That means spending time with the client in their emotional space, being curious about their mindset.
Asking leading questions: These are annoying because their purpose is almost always transparent—designed to prompt a selfish outcome, whether to give the seller an opportunity to display their knowledge or to Jedi-mind trick the prospect into a position of agreement. In my recent meeting, the pitch-person asked, “What's more important to you? Customer retention or growth?” I was annoyed. Why were these the only two possible answers? Clearly I was meant to tee up a ready-made pitch—even though they, and I, know that my needs are more complex! Such blunders undermine credibility. Leading questions impede your ability to understand the client’s needs and build a trust-based partnership. Better to ask open-ended questions that convey genuine curiosity, with an understanding that there are likely a wide range of considerations.
Over-qualifying prospects: I once had to endure a pre-meeting where I was peppered with endless questions, not so much to understand my pain points and needs, but to see how many qualifying check-boxes I would tick before they could be bothered to meet with me. The process left me feeling that the salesperson didn’t value my time; it also made me feel subordinated in the relationship, as if I needed to sell them on my worthiness to buy their product. I’m reminded here of a meeting I had where the salesperson of a major global software company actually said, “I don't deal with small potatoes like this.” If you must pre-qualify, be subtle and respectful.
Not respecting clients' concerns: How often have you had this experience: You lose a sale and then word gets back that the deciding factor was a requirement you could easily have met had it only been raised earlier? Developing a deep understanding of the client’s concerns is key to building trust and closing sales. Don’t be afraid to ask direct questions about their potential fears or explore their objections. Sometimes sales people steer away from these conversations as if the mention of these objections will underline deficiencies that will scuttle the sale. In fact, not talking about the negatives makes us as salespeople into that little kid playing hide and seek, who tries to hide by covering his own eyes. A smart salesperson recently acknowledged the fact that I’d been meeting with other vendors. “What are you learning from those other meetings that would be helpful for us to talk about today?” she asked. That simple question put me at ease, and I was able to have an open and productive discussion about our needs.
Forgetting your top priority: It’s not about you! It’s not even about how great your product is! It’s about the client’s needs. Especially in B2B sales, becoming an expert on the client and the problems they are trying to solve is critical.
An over-reliance on presentations: Frank Lloyd Wright once said something that every salesperson should remember as they fire up the old slide deck: “Less is only more where more is no good.” His point was that simplicity is only valuable when excessive complexity is no good. In fact, you do need slides and demos, maybe lots of them. But then presenting more than is required becomes “no good” quite easily. Grinding through more slides—because you want to be sure you fully convey the entire value prop sometimes without knowing if it even applies—is not a good idea! Better to have a human conversation, and then bring in targeted demos or follow-up detail that fits the client’s needs. Focusing too much on your presentation will also distract you from what’s happening in the room. Better to interact with the people in the room, it’s more valuable.
Getting over your skis: Too many salespeople push the client too far, too fast. Immediately following my terrible recent meeting, I received a secure link to sign a contract. I don’t think I’ve ever deleted anything so quickly. Slow down. Respect the fact that your client has a process, too. Allow ideas and information—the relationship—to marinate for a while. Then communicate carefully and deliberately instead of instantly moving in for the next step.
Oscar Wilde—himself no stranger to comedy—once said that “experience is simply the name we give our mistakes.” He was probably talking about salespeople, because we’ve all been there. Focus on helping the client succeed, and you too will succeed.