Prospects are the key to your business growth. Handling a qualified prospect well can dramatically improve the bottom-line of your business. Not only do they directly help you grow your bottom-line by becoming your customers but also end-up help you grow your business by offering quality referrals.Every time you interact with a prospect on a sales call or a sales meeting, the key is to make the prospect believe that you can solve their problems and give them the solution they are seeking. Having said that many sales executives are in hurry and tremendous pressure to get the sale done. Their focus is to add number of accounts/ clients to their list and not to solve the problems and add value. When the sales executive is only wanting to close the numbers, they sounds irrelevant, the pitch sounds repetitive, the selling pressure becomes evident and it turns-off the prospect from engaging in any further dialogue.In my experience of coaching, speaking and facilitating high-impact sales workshop, I come across following mistakes which most sales executives end-up doing.

1) Faking Enthusiasm

I am sure you have received that sales call or been in that sales meeting where the sales executive has solution to all your problems, the one who is overtly enthusiastic and smiles at every objection. The one who never wants to say "NO" and nods to every question with a grin. The only focus of this sales executive is probably to get the sale done for which he is willing to fake the enthusiasm.Probably they believed in the old adage - FAKE IT UNTIL YOU MAKE IT! That's what some sales trainers and coaches often tell the sales representatives to do.As you are doing it the only thing that the prospect can think of is a strict no and in bold, capital NO. Well, I am not saying that enthusiasm is bad. I am saying that faking enthusiasm or faking energy during conversation is a big turn-off. The prospect can smell that you are faking it.Next time watch-out you can never make it if you fake it!

2) Not Being Prepared

I have a quote that I use during my coaching and training sessions. Going on a sales call or a sale meeting unprepared is like going to a war without a weapon. In war you might die but in a sales call/ meeting you will end up being embarrassed and feel humiliated.Most sales executives are in hurry to close their numbers. They pick up the phone and dial in without doing their basic preparation. As soon as prospect gives you a nod to continue the call they are stumped and fail to build that rapport.The prospect wants you to get the first hand preparation done. They want you to know about them, their organization and their industry. They want you to be one step ahead of them.When the sales executive walks-in without any preparation and starts from the scratch its a big turns-off to the prospect. The prospect values their time and wants you to value their time as well.

3) Not Listening/ Ignoring

Your aim during the prospecting call and the presentation is to listen to the customer and know their need. Your customer wants you to listen and offer them customized solutions.Many sales executives are all about themselves and their products. They do not see anything beyond the product that they are selling. They are blind-sided to the things that the prospect is sharing. As a result they fail to build rapport and offer customized solutions.When sales executives are not lending their ears to understand the prospect it is a BIG turn-off. Sales is more about service than being selfish about the sale and the numbers you are chasing.

4) Creating Selling Pressure

Have you heard them say - Always Be Closing. How can you not? If you have spent some time in sales you have heard this.Many sales executives are trained hard to believe that the mantra to succeed in selling is "Always Be Closing". When a sales executives adapts this mantra they often end-up believing that they need to close the sale as early as possible. They try to create unreasonable pressure on the prospect to get the deal done and at times they as well try to up-sell/ cross-sell too early.When you are always creating unwanted pressure it turns the prospect off and they take the business else-where.

5) Not Demonstrating Authority

In the age where information is just a click away, your prospects wants to know more than they already know. They do not want you to show them the traditional information which is just few clicks away.Most sales executives are trying to impress the prospect with statistics which are irrelevant to their work or business. They do not customize the information for the client and fail to demonstrate authority in what they are speaking/ presenting.Showing irrelevant information or available information demonstrates poor or lack of authority. This is a big turn-off for a prospect.These are the common mistakes sales executives make as a result they not just loose out on getting their sales done but also loose out on opportunities to build ever growing business.What are the mistakes that you have seen your sales executives do? What mistakes have you done in the past which serve as great lesson today? Do leave your comments.,Let us connect and know more about each other. Do send me an email on sharat@iamhcc.com or connect with me www.sharatsharma.inYou can as well connect with me onLinkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharmasharat/Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/iamsharats/