5 Mistakes to Avoid in Sales Learning the missteps not to make is a big first step toward getting it right.
By Grant Cardone Edited by Dan Bova
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
About 30 people were treated for burns after walking on hot coals during self-help guru Tony Robbins' "Unleash the Power Within" seminar in Dallas earlier this year. You don't need to walk on hot coals to unleash more power, but you do need to take more actions and become obsessed.
At age 25 I became obsessed with becoming a true professional in my career as a car salesman. I learned the art of sales by committing to it and investing in myself. My obsession took me from broke to hecta-millionaire in under 30 years. I came to learn there were certain things I had to do right in order to get more sales, but there were also many things I needed to avoid. I want to quickly share with you today five mistakes you don't want to make in the world of sales:
1. Using a random approach.
How do you connect with a customer, what do you say? You should always know exactly what you're going to say and where you're going next. Don't wing it.
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2. Not getting answers.
This is a massive problem for many salespeople. If you can't get answers from people you can't close them. If I can't control the asking of questions and the receiving of answers, I'm in trouble. You must get answers to your questions.
3. Not asking questions.
Don't worry about offending them. Their budget is your business. If you're going to blow the deal, do it because you know what you're doing. Ask questions you need answered. The only thing worse than not getting answers from customers is not even asking them questions.
Related: Multitasking Doesn't Work. Use This 100-Year-Old Method to Get Stuff Done.
4. Jumping forward to price.
You get to price before determining if the product even satisfies the buyer's wants and needs. Don't put the cart before the horse. You don't need to jump to price right away, start fact finding and qualifying what the person needs.
Related: 101 Businesses You Can Start With Less Than $100
5. Being mechanical.
When you are learning something new it's not fluid, it's awkward. It takes training. To get fluid requires repetition. You don't want to be rigid and robotic. Being great in sales takes practice and you need to role play scenarios.
To become great in sales you have to know the game. The lack of commitment to sales is the biggest missing ingredient in salespeople getting what they want in life. You must develop skills because you aren't born with them. If you don't train you will make mistakes and miss sales.
I'm offering 90 percent right now off my premium programs. Get obsessed with increasing your income. No matter what industry you are in, whether you are a professional salesperson or not, you need to become obsessed with what you're doing to become great at it. I go into detail about this in my new book Be Obsessed or Be Average.
