5 Reasons Why Salespeople Fail

Everyone knows that sales isn’t always easy. There’s a lot of back and forth and tireless hours spent without any real way of knowing if the prospect on the other end will even close.

Here are 5 reasons why salespeople fail.

Asking the Wrong Questions

Making contacts is relatively easy, but making the right contacts can be a bit challenging. Many times, salespeople fill their pipelines with contacts they’ve made when they really don’t even belong in their sales funnel. Another frequent mistake is putting someone in the wrong part of that funnel because they never took the time to figure out where they were in the sales cycle. It wouldn’t make any sense to put someone who is really interested and already done their research in the top of the funnel. Figuring out the right questions to ask and then placing people where they need to go is key.

Lack of Follow-Up

According to Salesforce, it takes 6 to 8 touches to deliver a qualified lead. With the amount of information out there for prospects to consume, this should come as no surprise. As consumers who get flooded with marketing and advertising daily we almost become immune to it. So, persistence is key.

It’s easy to get discouraged when a deal doesn’t close within the first two or three touches, but don’t give up. Keep trying different things and set reminders so you stay on top of each prospect. Trying different mediums is a great way to tackle your prospect from all angles, but be sure to deliver the information in an appropriate way. You aren’t limited to calls and emails, so look for other avenues.

Not Using the Marketing Team

A lot of times is seems like marketing and sales are opposing teams who are competing against each other, but that’s simply not the case (See our article Reducing the Rift Between Sales and Marketing). As a salesperson, utilizing your marketing team can be one of your biggest assets. They can help you determine the best channels to reach your prospects, as well as provide materials to help you convert them to customers. By not going to them for support, you are only hurting yourself and potentially reaching your goals.

Not Asking for the Sale

Arguably the hardest part about selling a product or service isn’t showing the potential client the value proposition, but rather it’s actually asking for the business at the end to close the deal. Being timid is likely not going to land you any deals. A salesperson should be able to uncover the pain points and then sell their prospects on how their product or service is the solution.

Sales Isn’t the Right Fit

Sometimes salespeople fail because sales is just not the right fit for them. Perhaps they lack the drive, or find the processes of working hard only to not have someone convert to be discouraging. Whatever the reason, not all people are made for sales roles, which is why there are experts out there who can do your inside sales for you.

Outsourcing your sales can result in hiring the right talent faster which allows the business to scale quicker and break into new markets.

Read more: Things Salespeople Should Stop Doing Immediately