Are you looking to close more deals with shorter sales cycles?

Sometimes it is not about doing more or working overtime. It’s about detecting the mistakes that can cost lost deals and a damaged reputation.

Even the most skilled sales reps lose deals due to making critical sales mistakes. 

Knowing the most common mistakes salespeople make can help you avoid those deal-killers and make more successful deals. 

Here are the 10 most common sales mistakes paired with tips on how to avoid them, helping you sell smarter and with fewer errors. 

Underprepared Sales Representatives

It is essential to understand the customer's needs and wants before your first meeting. Particularly, B2B buyers expect sales representatives to have researched their company, the industry, and the specific challenges they face.

Recent research has shown that 82% of B2B buyers think sales representatives are underprepared for their first meeting.

Modern B2B buyers are busy, and if you are not prepared for the initial meeting, you may miss your only chance to convert them into customers.

What to do:

• Allocate time for pre-call and pre-meeting research. 
• Study the company and the industry it represents. 
• You can use platforms like LinkedIn to research the company, the contact person, and the company's website, as well as news reports.

Listening Less Than Speaking

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One of the mistakes to avoid in sales calls is listening less than speaking. 

Sometimes sales representatives think that the more they speak and the more information they provide, the better outcomes the sales call will yield.

However, dominating conversations is not always the best approach. According to Gong.io research, the ideal ratio of talk to listen in sales conversations is 57% prospect talk and 43% sales rep talk.

In practice, however, sales representatives typically dominate with more than 75% of the conversation. This imbalance leads to a lack of understanding of the prospect’s pain points and hampers rapport building.

What to do:

• Remember that listening builds trust. Your best choice as a sales rep is to apply reflective listening by repeating and validating what you hear. 
• You can also use open-ended questions to encourage prospects to share more about themselves and their pain points. 

Poor Lead Qualification

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Poor lead qualification is another common mistake sales representatives make before the first sales call. This huge mistake leads to wasted time, longer sales cycles, and fewer closed deals. Many sales reps prefer quantity of leads to quality. 

SBI Growth’s report states that businesses that identify and rely on the Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) perform higher while focusing on the right segment. 

What to do:

• Start by mapping every lead to your ICP. This will help you save time and resources on leads that will not convert. 
• Use structured sales frameworks like BANT ( Budget, Authority, Need, Timing).

Over Pitching 

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Overpitching is one of the most annoying sales actions reported by buyers. Yet, it’s not surprising that 50% of buyers find sales representatives too pushy. Many sales reps even start pushing before understanding the needs of the potential customer.

Overpitching can ruin trust from buyers, as modern customers are quite informed and prefer value to pressure.

What to do: 

• Focus on the customer's needs before pitching.
•  Ask questions and practice active listening.
•  Match the prospect's communication style and let them lead the conversation. 

Overlooking Follow-ups

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A common and costly sales mistake is overlooking and neglecting follow-ups. 

Many deals are lost because sales representatives don’t follow up after the first email or call. Don’t be surprised to learn that most sales occur after the 5th follow-up. However, most sales representatives stop following up after the second one. 

What to do:

• Keep structured and strict intervals for follow-ups (for example, every 5 days).
• Use advanced CRM software to keep all the information in one place and automate follow-ups.
• Add value in follow-up emails. For instance, add informational content, case studies, testimonials, and similar. 

Offering Features, Not Solutions

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A common sales mistake is focusing solely on the features of products or services. 

Yes, it’s important to showcase the incredible features your product or service provides. 

However, will the prospect truly care? We believe they are not interested in any amazing features you propose unless these features offer solutions to their needs.

What to do:

• Research the prospect.
• Reveal their needs.
• Present the benefits they can gain from using your product.
• Present success stories of customers with similar issues. 

Arguing With Prospects

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Often, a sales representative’s points don’t match the points of the prospect. This can easily lead to an argument and the loss of the sale. 

Turning a collaborative process into a conflict by arguing over the points of disagreement is a big no for sales representatives. However, this doesn’t mean you should say “Yes” to every term of the customer. The thing is to present your point collaboratively. 

What to do:

• Acknowledge the prospect’s point first, then start protecting yours. 
• Understand and accept the prospect’s reasoning.
• Handle objections collaboratively.
• Don’t be afraid to lose points. You can still win the war by losing the small battles. 

Using Your Language, Not Prospects’ 

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As a salesperson, you may be used to speaking using jargon or technical terms. This language is understandable for your colleagues, not the buyers. 

Using too many technical terms or buzzwords can confuse the prospect and affect the sales process. 

What to do:

• Learn the art of using customers' language. 
• Use phrases and language a prospect uses during the conversation.
• Simplify technical terms by translating them into everyday words and phrases.
• Overpromising
• A major mistake a sales rep can make is aiming to close the deal by making promises they won’t be able to keep later.

Unrealistic Promises

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Unrealistic promises and concealing important information are the worst things that can happen to your brand's reputation. This includes timelines, features, outcomes, and anything related to your product and brand.

What to do:

• Be honest. It’s better to say “No” than to say “Yes” just to meet the prospect’s objections and close the deal quickly.
• Check viability before promising. Uncertainty doesn’t absolve you from the consequences. So always verify the information.
• Focus only on proven and realistic results.

Targeting the Wrong Contact Person

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 Reaching out to the wrong person can make the entire sales process ineffective. You may spend hours preparing for the call, make the sales call, and end up with no results. This happens when you do not reach out to the decision maker.

The sooner you contact the decision maker, the greater the chances of closing a successful deal.

This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t communicate with others. You may encounter gatekeepers, product users, and others during the sales process. Your goal is to connect with the decision maker as quickly as possible.

• What to do:
• Qualify the contact person early. Use tools like Apollo, LinkedIn Sales Navigator, and similar software to identify job titles and detect decision makers early in the sales process.
• Ask discovery questions during the first call.
• Utilize referrals from the organization. 

Conclusion

Even the most professional sales representatives make mistakes. 

However, the truth is that most common sales mistakes stem from the same origin: not understanding the buyer's needs and not effectively communicating their desired solutions. 

The way buyers, and mostly B2B customers, have changed. Modern buyers are more educated, more informed, specific, and more picky. 

Your goal as a salesperson is to spark the right conversations with the right people to close more deals with fewer errors. No pressure, no tricks, just collaboration, and you are there.