As 2019 approaches, the talk about “New Year’s Resolutions” starts coming up. Instead of lecturing on the healthy habits and time-saving practices you should take with you into 2019, I’m here to do the opposite. In celebration of 2019, here are 19 habits that you should leave behind so you can up your selling game in the new year.
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Selling to every prospect you come across
The more time you spend on prospects that wouldn’t be a good fit, the less time you have for right-fit prospects. Your time is precious and should be used wisely.
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Lack of communication with other departments
Looking to close a deal? Maybe your customer team has some success stories or marketing can provide collateral for reference. You won’t know if you don’t ask!
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De-prioritizing coaching sessions, learning, and training
Have you heard the phrase “you learn something new everyday”? Well, it’s true and neglecting professional development will catch up to you in the long run.
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Lack of planning
Having a concrete plan for the day helps avoid productivity lags and saves you from forgetting about key objectives.
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Skimping on research
Nothing looks worse than a seller obviously having no knowledge of the prospect on a call. Take a few minutes to research the company, it will help you to understand their struggles and needs better.
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Not prospecting enough
Prospecting is not the most glamorous part of a salesperson’s job but it is necessary. A full pipeline now leads to a successful salesperson in the future.
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Letting others control your calendar
Are your coworkers grabbing open time on your calendar for meetings while your prospects are suggesting times that just don’t work for you? Take back your calendar, being in charge of your own time will result in higher productivity and job satisfaction.
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Saying “yes” to everything
Saying yes to every whim of a prospect may help close the deal in the short-term, but your empty promises will come back to haunt you.
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Multi-tasking during calls and meetings
We get it, your workday can be overwhelming, but answering emails and scheduling meetings during a call will only hinder your productivity. Stay focused on the task at hand and give your prospects the time you owe them.
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Starting from scratch with every email
This is a sure way to slow productivity. Have a template for your most frequently sent emails that allows you to enter personalization when necessary. This saves you time and prevents grammatical errors.
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Taking rejection personally
Doing so is the fastest way to derail your productivity and crush your morale. Rejection is part of the job and the best thing you can do is move on and learn from it while continuing to work toward your goals.
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Acting like a know-it-all
Many salespeople think they must have all the answers. In reality, being honest about your uncertainty but reassuring that you will get the correct answer is usually more appealing to prospects. It shows honesty and a dedication to sharing the best information
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Sitting all day long
Sitting down generally brings bad posture. This can negatively affect your mood and therefore your pitches. Stand up and walk around to stay on your toes and refresh your brain.
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Giving up too soon
Did one of your prospects go dark? Don’t be too quick to give up, keep touching base and you may be surprised. Giving up way too soon is a sure fire way to lose a deal.
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Blaming others for your losses
Whether you’re blaming the prospect’s CEO for saying no in the end, your team for not supporting you, or your manager for not coaching you, stop. Take responsibility for your actions and their outcomes.
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Forgetting prospect conversations
Writing down key points of conversations with prospects can go a long way. Bringing up a favorite sports team that a prospect mentioned to you is a sure way to show them that you’re listening and you care about the deal and relationship.
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Talking without listening
You have two ears and one mouth for a reason. Listen to your prospects pain points and then speak to how your solution can help them, not the other way around.
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Not preparing for pushback
Objections are part of the sales process. Identify the most common ones for your specific company and have answers ready.
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Tardiness
You prospected, emailed, called and now you have a demo set. Why ruin it by being tardy? Your prospects time is important and being late tells them that you don’t think it is.
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Looking for ways to improve your team’s performance in 2019? Register for our Virtual KPI Workshop, Friday, January 11th at 1 PM EST!
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