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Anyone who's ever sold anything to anyone has learned the lessons of what not to do.

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Important Sales Rules Not to Live By

Author: Kriss Barlow, RN, MBA

Anyone who's ever sold anything to anyone has learned the lessons of what not to do. Conversely, those negative experiences can teach us to do things the right way-and how to build solid relationships with our customers. Consider these "don'ts" and put the flip side into action:

• Don't: Assume the client wants to hear about your product or agenda off the bat. Instead, ask the right questions first and determine your customer's needs, wants and desires-then match those with what you have to offer.

• Don't: Continue to work with prospects that never buy. Determine the point at which you choose to keep them informed but move them off the list of potential buyers. If they come back to you, don't assume they'll come back to your organization.

• Don't: Fail to determine how decisions are made in the organization. Make sure you know the formal and informal decision-makers.

• Don't: Believe you know all about their business. Ask about their perceptions of their organization and the marketplace.

• Don't: Assume that someone will call you. If they're a qualified prospect, you need to call them. The cardinal rule of sales: It's the salesperson's job to initiate contact and to close the deal.

• Don't: "Dump the bucket" and tell the client everything about your product or service, hoping you shared something of interest with them. Skilled salespeople customize their information based on feedback from the customer.

• Don't: Quit if they say "no." Sometimes "no" means "I'm not ready today" or "I'm not sure you've answered all my questions." Find out the reason for the "no" and then look for ways to overcome this.

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