The Seven Deadly Sins of Sales

In the late sixth century, Pope Gregory described the seven deadly sins from the least serious to the most; they are pride, envy, anger, avarice, sadness, gluttony, and lust.

What do you think are the seven deadly sins of salespeople? Here’s my list, in order of least to most severe.

Ego centricity. Sales people are often too focused on themselves, their bonus, their company, and their products. True success in sales is actually about deep knowledge of the customer, their company, their products their issue sand opportunities. Customer centricity. When you really know that, then it’s about finding a good fit between what you have to offer and what the customer needs.

Chattering. Salespeople talk too much. They do this for a variety of reasons. Some are nervous chatterers who just can’t keep their mouths shut. Others think they know more than the customer so they lecture the customer to death. Many salespeople feel compelled to recite their canned pitch regardless of the customer’s actual interest. Successful selling is more about listening than talking.

Shortsightedness. Salespeople must be short-term thinkers and long-term planners. A short-sighted sales person neglects the future and does not spend time on activities that build his future pipeline. Short sightedness is not to be confused with laziness. Many hardworking salespeople are completely focused on the here and now. Unfortunately, they forget about next quarter and next year. Other salespeople never really think about what will happen if their big deal collapses. They have been lulled into a state of inactivity and could be jolted into reality at any moment.

Tunnel Vision. Many salespeople don’t take the time to understand how customers wider business and business structure. I am continually amazed at the narrow approach many salespeople have about understanding the organisational structure of the companies they call on. When they are asked what a person’s title is, they will answer, “manager,” or something equally nebulous, when they should answer, “manager of application security who reports to the director of application development, who, in turn, reports to the CIO.”

Shallowness. Salespeople who don’t know their product or their market well enough to build customer credibility cannot be expected to drive account strategy. How can you determine your next course of action if you don’t understand the customer’s needs and questions? Worse, in this situation you are completely at the mercy of someone else because another member of your company has to explain how your product works.

Presumptuousness. Assuming information you really don’t know is one of the worst sins for a salesperson. Salespeople who are not certain but make their best guess about who the ultimate and final decision maker is within an account are more than halfway to losing the deal. In the style of Donald Rumsfeld, known unknowns are a good thing! The best people always work on fact and where they don’t know they make hypothesis and verify them.

Ignorance. In sales, ignorance is not bliss. It is the deadliest sin. It’s challenging to be deeply knowledgeable if you’re on the outside looking in. To be truly expert you need a “coach” You need a contact within an account who is telling you what is happening in closed-door meetings, defending you when you are not around, and disseminating propaganda on your behalf. Without this you will most certainly lose.

Your success is your responsibility. The salesperson who avoids committing these seven deadly sins is well on his or her way to becoming a truly great salesperson.

Patricia Seabright consults and teaches on sales effectiveness for clients across the world. Her success is based on her successful 20 year track record in sales and selling.  She is a Miller Heiman consultant.

Tags: Miller Heiman, Sales, Sales success