by Peermuhammad Ameerali

Created on: October 05, 2009

Selling is a highly sensitive as much as a sensible function. It requires a lot of common sense, professional expertise and empathetic skills. If one follows the right steps, sales materialize as a matter of course, but if one treads the wrong path, not only does s/he lose the instant sales but also runs the risk of closing the door for future sales as well. So in effective selling, the don'ts are as much important as, if not more important than, the do's. To post success on a continual basis in sales efforts, professional salesmen constantly endeavor to avoid the following common sales errors:

Not upgrading one's sales skills on a continuous basis:

A string of success tends to make some salesmen complacent and this will trip them in their future efforts. In the competitive world of professional selling, constant upgradation of one's selling prowess is not simply optional; it is mandatory.

Not being fully conversant with the details of the product or service one is selling:

Every detail counts and the more the details one is conversant with and confident of , the more professional he appears to the customer. At times, a seemingly insignificant fact could be appealing to the customer and it could tilt the sales in the salesman's favor.

Improper and inadequate prospecting:

Identifying the right customer and properly identifying his relevant needs is as important for sales success as is locating the goldmine for the gold miner. During the upswing times, companies and salesmen tend to think that the flow of business will continue as a matter of routine, but this is not true. Business collapse is imminent, sooner or later, if this point is ignored. Continuous build-up and expansion of customer base is vital for long term business success.

Insufficient preparation before meeting any customer:

Unless the salesman researches in advance and finds out the buying needs and trends of the customer, he is more likely to fail than succeed with the customer. This kind of in-depth customer study helps him understand the real needs of the customer so that he could effectively address it and net the sales. Otherwise he is likely to be not objective in his approach, waste a lot of time in irrelevant presentation and ultimately turn off the customer, once for all. He may not also be able to empathize effectively with the customer and strike a useful rapport with him or her.

Failure to effectively and objectively listen to the customer:

Most customers are upset not so much by the

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