7 Deadly Sales Sins

Are the 7 deadly sales sins wreaking havoc with your bottom line?

The original seven deadly sins of Christianity included pride, envy, anger, avarice, sadness, gluttony, and lust.  Sales guru Steve W. Martin has identified a new set of sins that are particularly prevalent among sales people.

Check the list twice to be sure you are not sabotaging your sales success with these seven sinful sales killers.

1. Chattering: Whether it’s nerves, well-intended knowledge sharing or an overzealous sale pitch, salespeople who talk too much lose sales. Listen more… win more.
2. Gourmandizing: Sales people who excessively devour company resources end up costing the company more than they sell.
3. Inactivity: Nothing to do?  Think again. Sales people should be short-term thinkers and long-term planners.
4. Obliviousness: If you do not understand the organizational structure of the companies you call on, you are guilty of this one.
5. Shallowness: This sin could also be a commandment of “know thy product.” If another member of your company has to explain how your product works, you have some work to do.
6. Presumptuousness: This is the art of guessing what you do not know. If you are not sure who is the final decision maker for an account, you are more than halfway to losing it.
7. Ignorance: This is the deadliest sales sin. There is no bliss for sales ignorance.

Martin closes with this sage comment, “The salesperson who avoids committing these seven deadly sins is well on his or her way to becoming a Heavy Hitter, a truly great salesperson.”