5 Things a Sales Rep Should Avoid After a Sales Meeting

First, you need to appreciate that sales is an art. The reason is that one cannot become a successful salesperson without the right skill and talent. Of course, a sales rep makes a quota by upselling existing accounts and signing new clients. That means that getting potential customers to sign contracts is paramount. Otherwise, a sales rep will not hit their number. As much as that is the case, a sales rep's responsibility is not all about selling. Instead, they focus on bridging the gap between the needs of their clients and employers. However, if sales reps are ill-prepared, they can put off prospects just after a sales meeting. So, identifying common sales mistakes and avoiding them is critical in this case.

Below are a few things you should avoid after a sales meeting.

1. Hammering a Potential Customer With Multiple Calls and Emails After a Sales Meeting

Meeting a prospect does not open a door for you to start bombarding them with emails and calls. That is quite annoying, and they will do whatever they can to avoid you. So, if you are always sending follow-up emails and calling potential customers every other day, you will probably not close the sale.

Note that prospects will not interpret your relentless "spirit" as a sign of hard work or dedication; neither will such actions be admirable to them. On the contrary, hammering potential clients with multiple calls and emails makes you appear disorganized and desperate. That explains why prospects will avoid you when they discover that you are coming on too strong. 

As such, a sales rep should find the right call cadence to avoid off-putting a prospect. For instance, after meeting a potential customer, you can consider making a follow-up through email or a call after at least two weeks. That way, you will allow one sufficient time to think through your offer before they decide the next course of action.

2. Failure to Follow-Up With the Right Information 

Sometimes, you may have some homework to do after meeting a prospect. That is often the case when such an individual needs specific information that will require you to dig into company records or research elsewhere. It does not mean that you did not prepare before meeting a potential customer. The implication here is that such a client needs more information or clarification before taking the next step.

Remember that when a prospect agrees to meet you, they have probably researched details about you and your company. In that case, it should not be a surprise if a potential customer appears to know you and your organization better than you know them when you meet them. On the other hand, you cannot afford to avoid a prospect just because they need more information from you.

So, failure to follow up with a potential client with the details they need is not an option. For that reason, you need to do your research before making a follow-up call or sending such an individual an email with the information they need. That way, you will establish a rapport with them, which will, in turn, build trust. Note that people hardly buy from someone they do not trust.

3. Prioritizing Price Over Value

Price should never take the center stage immediately when you meet a potential customer; neither should it be the focus after that. Of course, price is a decisive factor, but clients will not buy something only because it is cheap. That is the case since people invest in value, not price.

In that case, you will remain in an illusion if you believe that the price will sell what you are offering. You also need to understand that special promotions, low prices, and discounts will only afford you instant bargain hunters instead of long-term gratification. 

On the other hand, if what you are offering is valuable, customers will buy, and if that value is substantial, buyers will not mind paying a higher price. That suggests that after a sales meeting, you should keep reminding prospects that cheap products or services result in higher long-term expenses while investing in quality means more value and lower future costs.

4. Failure to Keep Your Promises

You need to prove that you can meet the demands of a prospect when you have a sitting with them. However, delivering accordingly is more important than making promises to potential customers. That means that you should avoid making promises you cannot keep. In any case, that equates to lying in business. So, even if you want to close a deal at the end of the day, overpromising and underdelivering is not the right way to start any business relationship. Additionally, if you are fond of hiding special conditions and limitations or you keep exaggerating the capabilities of your product or service, you will not achieve much. 

There are two options you can consider here. One is to under promise and over deliver, which will be a pleasant surprise for potential customers. The reason is that you will blow prospects away with the experience they get if expectations are low, yet what you offer ends up doing more. Alternatively, you can allow potential clients to sell to themselves.

That is possible by asking the right questions that will gradually push prospects in the right direction while convincing them that they need what you offer. Doing so will help you win potential buyers after a sales meeting. So, rather than making a dishonest sale, you are better off selling nothing. 

The reason is that beyond losing a client, your reputation will also be on the line when a prospect discovers that there is an issue you "forgot to address".

5. Closing When You Are Not in a Closing Position

Converting a prospect into a buyer takes time, and selling is a process. Also, note that following a consistent, repeatable sales process allows successful salespeople to sell consistently. So, it is critical to know what stage a potential customer is in within the sales cycle. After that, you need to walk with a prospect every step of the way.

Lacking such insight will probably cause you to rush the closing bit before pushing a prospect through the sales funnel. When that happens, it leads to inconsistencies in closing sales. The sales cycle may be long, but it helps guide a prospect to the position where you can close. 

Learn More About What a Sales Rep Should Do After a Sales Meeting

When selling, you can either seal the deal or lose the opportunity to do so altogether. Avoiding the mistakes above and drawing a client's attention from the onset can help a sales rep close a deal. If you want to become a successful sales rep, continuously working on a sales strategy, learning from mistakes, and evolving where necessary is advisable.

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