Much like Kurt Russell’s iconic character from Used Cars (a 1980 classic, all-time hit might I add), you could close a deal armed with a simple pitch and a winning personality in the days past.
That’s just not the reality anymore.
Modern sales require so much more. For instance, everyone knows the importance of;
-
-
- Training your sales reps with a proper plan in place
- Being sure that your email cadence or outreach campaigns have at least 5-7 touchpoints at minimum
- Not trying to automate for enterprise or top 1% accounts
- Setting unrealistic sales quotas or deadlines, etc.
-
But even the most battle hardened sales people make certain mistakes – and fail to realize it.
So, here we have listed the top 8 sales mistakes that you might be making. Conquer these and you will definitely see your numbers shoot up.
Let’s dive in.
1 – Buying ‘Sales’ Leads In Bulk From Bulk Vendors
Remember that 50 other businesses are getting exactly the same list of ‘leads.’ As such, the people on the list are sick and tired of receiving what they see as spam emails or calls.
Also, such providers do not give you additional data points such as firmographics, technographics or other info that signals buying intent (e.g. recent funding, expansion of a specific department, etc.)
Always ensure that your B2B data provider mines fresh leads with the latest information on your prospects.
For instance, at Cloudlead, we facilitate our clients with custom data points (e.g. what chatbot their leads are using on their site, personal achievements, company achievements, etc.) that helps their reps truly connect with the person on the other end.
2 – Not Cleaning Your Data At-least Once In 6 Months
People move jobs, companies close down, circumstances change, startups raise funding, CEOs change. There is so much that can happen in 6 months that your data becomes ‘stale.’
This means that you and your sales team do not have the latest information on your accounts or prospects. Simply put, this sales mistakes makes it a thousand times harder to personalize your efforts and close deals.
Read more: Why Data Enrichment And Cleansing Is Not Optional
3 – Not Giving Your Sales Team The Right Data To Help Them Connect With Prospects
And no, if you expect them to do all the research, they’ll never get around to their actual job which is selling.
From searching for accounts and leads to finding buying signals (e.g. recent hiring for sales or IT, funding raised, etc.) – it’s not their job.
4 – Encouraging Them To Work With Generic Templates
There are templates that you can personalize – and then there are generic ‘hello sir’ templates that simply don’t work. The latter definitely deserves a top spot in the worst sales mistakes ever.
It goes without saying that you should never use generic templates like the one described above. Like I keep emphasizing, personalization is key to making a good impression on your prospects – and getting them to respond to you.
If you can’t come up with unique copies or cadences, you have two options; hire a copywriter with experience writing cold emails in your space or sign up for a tool like DripScripts by Growth Tools.
5 – Not Connecting With Your Prospects Where They Are
It’s great that you’re cold calling and emailing. But are your reps making an effort to connect with prospects through other mediums like LinkedIn, Quora, etc.?
It’s 2020 and I would say that nothing less than a multi-channel technique for lead generation will work now.
6 – Not Knowing Your Ideal Buyers Inside Out
This means knowing who your audience is, segmenting them based on their interests, etc.
Here’s a quote from a previous article I’ve written:
“the hallmark of a successful marketing or sales campaign is a thorough understanding of your target market (ideal customer profile) and clear communication. You simply can’t target everyone who you THINK might buy from you, you need to have an ideal customer profile.
How do you square off with large companies with plenty of resources and funding? By targeting a SPECIFIC, relevant market. At this point in the game, you shouldn’t target “all the software and IT companies” or “C-execs.” You need a focused target market so you can push your brand and brand message to the right prospects. Especially for small businesses, this is the best (and most affordable) way to generate warm leads. In other words, you need to identify your ideal buyers.”
Read full article: How to Identify and Refine your Ideal Customer Profile in 5 Easy Steps
7 – Blowing Your Budget On Tools You Think You Absolutely Need
This one is specially for all startups. Just because all the others are paying $99 dollars in subscription or you’re being offered a special discount on a fancy new tool does not mean that you should opt for it.
Yes, certain tools are extremely useful, but first ask yourself if you really need it or can your team do without it for a while.
Another point to remember is that at this point, it’s likely that your needs can be fulfilled with a ‘freemium’ version of the same tool (or a different provider with the same functionality).
A good example of this is a CRM – you can buy Salesforce for $25 per user per month or you can opt for a freemium Hubspot CRM.
8 – Hiring Expensive Talent When You Can’t Afford Them
Again, prioritize what you absolutely need and while sales is an essential function, ask yourself if there are other ways you can make do with up-and-coming talent.
Similarly, you can absolutely form partnerships or link up with affiliates who can send referrals your way for a certain fee (upfront or percentage of sale).
And that’s it for now – since this is such an important and extensive topic, I’ll try to come back and write more.
Article taken from an answer on Quora.
Want to source fresh data and phone verified direct dials for your sales team? At Cloudlead, we’ve helped hundreds of clients scale their outbound with the help of fresh data, detailed insights and numbers of key decision makers. Ask us for a free sample today.
Dear cloudlead.co owner, Your posts are always well-supported by facts and figures.
To the cloudlead.co owner, You always provide valuable information.
Dear cloudlead.co admin, Your posts are always well researched.
Hi cloudlead.co administrator, Thanks for the educational content!
To the cloudlead.co webmaster, Your posts are always well researched.
Dear cloudlead.co admin, Your posts are always well-supported by facts and figures.
Dear cloudlead.co owner, Your posts are always well-delivered and engaging.
Hello cloudlead.co webmaster, Your posts are always well-referenced and credible.
To the cloudlead.co webmaster, You always provide useful tips and best practices.
To the cloudlead.co administrator, Thanks for the well-structured and well-presented post!
Dear cloudlead.co admin, Excellent work!
Its like you read my mind! You seem to know so much about this, like you wrote the e-book in it or something. I think that you could do with a few p.c. to pressure the message home a little bit, however instead of that, that is fantastic blog. A fantastic read. I’ll definitely be back.
Dear cloudlead.co admin, Thanks for the well-researched and well-written post!
Hi cloudlead.co admin, Your posts are always well received by the community.
Reading your article helped me a lot and I agree with you. But I still have some doubts, can you clarify for me? I’ll keep an eye out for your answers.
For my thesis, I consulted a lot of information, read your article made me feel a lot, benefited me a lot from it, thank you for your help. Thanks!
Hi cloudlead.co owner, Thanks for the well-researched and well-written post!
To the cloudlead.co administrator, You always provide clear explanations and step-by-step instructions.
Appreciate it for this post, I am a big big fan of this internet site would like to proceed updated.
Dear cloudlead.co admin, Your posts are always well-supported by facts and figures.
To the cloudlead.co webmaster, Thanks for the well-researched post!
Awesome! Its genuinely remarkable post, I have got much clear idea regarding from this post
Hello cloudlead.co webmaster, Thanks for the well-organized and comprehensive post!
Hi cloudlead.co owner, Thanks for the well-researched post!
Hello cloudlead.co owner, Thanks for the informative post!
I truly appreciate your piece of work, Great post.
After examine just a few of the blog posts on your website now, and I actually like your way of blogging. I bookmarked it to my bookmark web site record and will likely be checking back soon. Pls check out my web site as properly and let me know what you think.
endometrial cancer and tamoxifen TDP2 could actually play a role in Top1cc repair
I do not even understand how I ended up here, but I assumed this publish used to be great
Awesome! Its genuinely remarkable post, I have got much clear idea regarding from this post.
Dear cloudlead.co administrator, Keep sharing your knowledge!
Hi cloudlead.co administrator, Your posts are always well received by the community.
I just like the helpful information you provide in your articles
I’m often to blogging and i really appreciate your content. The article has actually peaks my interest. I’m going to bookmark your web site and maintain checking for brand spanking new information.
To the cloudlead.co webmaster, Your posts are always informative and well-explained.
Hello cloudlead.co administrator, Your posts are always well-referenced and credible.
very informative articles or reviews at this time.
Dear cloudlead.co webmaster, You always provide key takeaways and summaries.
I very delighted to find this internet site on bing, just what I was searching for as well saved to fav
Hello cloudlead.co owner, Your posts are always informative and well-explained.
Hello cloudlead.co admin, You always provide useful information.
Hi cloudlead.co admin, You always provide great examples and case studies.
Hi cloudlead.co owner, Your posts are always well structured and easy to follow.
Hello cloudlead.co admin, Your posts are always well-referenced and credible.
To the cloudlead.co admin, Thanks for the well-structured and well-presented post!
Pretty! This has been a really wonderful post. Many thanks for providing these details.
To the cloudlead.co owner, You always provide valuable feedback and suggestions.
Dear cloudlead.co administrator, Great content!
Hi cloudlead.co webmaster, Great post!
Hello cloudlead.co administrator, Well done!
To the cloudlead.co webmaster, Your posts are always on point.
Hi cloudlead.co administrator, Your posts are always informative.
I like the efforts you have put in this, thanks for all the great content.
I’ve been exploring for a little for any high quality articles or blog posts on this sort of area . Exploring in Yahoo I at last stumbled upon this website. Reading this information So i am happy to convey that I have a very good uncanny feeling I discovered exactly what I needed. I most certainly will make certain to don’t forget this web site and give it a glance on a constant basis.
Enjoyed examining this, very good stuff, thanks.
Dear cloudlead.co owner, Thanks for the well-organized post!
Dear cloudlead.co owner, You always provide in-depth analysis and understanding.
I saw a lot of website but I think this one contains something extra in it in it
I’m usually to blogging and i really recognize your content. The article has really peaks my interest. I am going to bookmark your website and maintain checking for brand spanking new information.
Hi cloudlead.co admin, Thanks for the well-structured and well-presented post!
With havin so much content do you ever run into any problems of plagorism or
copyright violation? My website has a lot of exclusive content I’ve either created myself
or outsourced but it looks like a lot of it is popping it up all over
the web without my authorization. Do you know any methods
to help protect against content from being ripped off?
I’d certainly appreciate it.
Howdy! I know this is kinda off topic but I was wondering which blog platform are you using for this site? I’m getting sick and tired of WordPress because I’ve had problems with hackers and I’m looking at alternatives for another platform. I would be fantastic if you could point me in the direction of a good platform.
There’s definately a great deal to learn about this subject.
I love all the points you made.
Howdy! This post couldn’t be written any better!
Reading through this post reminds me of my good old room mate!
He always kept talking about this. I will forward this article to him.
Fairly certain he will have a good read. Thank you for sharing!
I think this is one of the most significant information for
me. And i’m glad reading your article. But want
to remark on few general things, The web site style is ideal,
the articles is really nice : D. Good job, cheers
I like the valuable info you provide in your articles. I’ll bookmark your blog and check again here regularly.
I’m quite sure I’ll learn lots of new stuff right
here! Best of luck for the next!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts about Bocoran Toto Macau paling
jitu. Regards
Hi there to all, for the reason that I am genuinely keen of reading this website’s post to be updated on a regular basis. It carries pleasant stuff.
I got this web page from my pal who shared with me about this web site and now this time I am browsing this site and reading very informative posts at this time.
For the reason that the admin of this site is working, no uncertainty very quickly it will be renowned, due to its quality contents.
Together with every thing which seems to be building within this specific area, a significant percentage of viewpoints tend to be somewhat refreshing. Nevertheless, I appologize, because I do not give credence to your whole strategy, all be it radical none the less. It appears to me that your comments are generally not completely rationalized and in simple fact you are yourself not really fully convinced of your argument. In any case I did enjoy reading it.
You’re so awesome! I don’t believe I have read a single thing like that before. So great to find someone with some original thoughts on this topic. Really.. thank you for starting this up. This website is something that is needed on the internet, someone with a little originality!
I very delighted to find this internet site on bing, just what I was searching for as well saved to fav
I am truly thankful to the owner of this web site who has shared this fantastic piece of writing at at this place.
Awesome! Its genuinely remarkable post, I have got much clear idea regarding from this post.
For the reason that the admin of this site is working, no uncertainty very quickly it will be renowned, due to its quality contents.
https://clients1.google.ci/url?sa=t&url=https://bambu4d.com
You’re so awesome! I don’t believe I have read a single thing like that before. So great to find someone with some original thoughts on this topic. Really.. thank you for starting this up. This website is something that is needed on the internet, someone with a little originality!
Zhao Ling snorted coldly, Steward Feng was obviously trying to protect himself, and neither side wanted to offend him buy cialis canadian He recovered and got Ronny Cedeno on an 85 mph slider for his ninth strikeout of the night
Hello cloudlead.co administrator, Your posts are always on topic and relevant.
I think the content you share is interesting, but for me there is still something missing, because the things discussed above are not important to talk about today.
It’s really a nice and useful piece of info. I’m glad that you shared this useful info with us. Please keep us informed like this. Thanks for sharing.
I may need your help. I’ve been doing research on gate io recently, and I’ve tried a lot of different things. Later, I read your article, and I think your way of writing has given me some innovative ideas, thank you very much.