Incomplete Qualification
The sales team’s selling plan is not aligned with the true buying plan of the power person in the customer’s buying hierarchy because the sales team has been clinging to a customer coach / ally who does not have a full understanding of power’s plan. If the competition happens to be in the know and you are not, you will lose.
Unresearched Presentations
Show up and "throw up" approach because no one interviewed the audience in advance to determine key areas of interest and "rat holes" to avoid. Take the time and gather intelligence so you are better prepared than your competition. If someone tries to keep you from doing so then refuse to present.
Undefined Evaluations
It may sound hard to believe but some sales teams are often agreeing to pilot without determining the success criteria of the pilot in advance and gaining a commitment to buy if the success criteria are achieved.
Reactive Negotiation
Failure to determine the complete list of concessions the customer is seeking upfront and instead responding piecemeal will cause you to concede more than necessary.
Closing in the Dark
Not establishing a detailed close plan documented in an email with the customer outlining who does, what, when, and how to complete the contract process on time is often the cause of opportunities slipping further out.
Poor Postsales Transition
When a Sales Rep throws a closed opportunity over the “wall” for consultants to implement without involving the consultants early enough in a sales cycle it causes less than smooth implementations and customer satisfaction issues.
I’m sure there are more issues out there but the above covers the most common pitfalls I’ve seen cause self inflicted wounds while managing opportunities in a sales cycle. Applying a small amount of planning can go a long way toward avoiding these pitfalls and increasing your sales productivity.
You can read more on this topic as well as other techniques to optimize your selling efforts in Dave Govan’s book Crisis In The Enterprise, available on Amazon.com and in various bookstores.
Good luck and good selling.
