As sales trainers, it seems like we’re always out there to “help improve skills.” Yet, after my conversation with Ralph Reiff, who oversees the St. Vincent Sports Performance Center in Indianapolis, he reminded me of something we often forget about in sales training.

When Ralph looks at an athlete to decide what kind of training he/she needs, he looks at “what is getting in the way of better performance?”

He claims there’s always something that if remedied/fixed/addressed would improve the athlete’s performance considerably.

What is Your Sales Distraction?

I equate that to some of the work we do in our work on sales strategy with clients. The bottom line question is: “What do we do that gets in the way of the sale?” Here are some thoughts that you can chew on.

1. We talk too much. I’ve literally heard salespeople talk themselves out of a sale, because they don’t know when to shut up.
2. We fail to uncover the hidden pain. It’s easy when you walk in and ask the prospect what their problem is and it’s on the table in front of you. But what if you have to dig a little bit? What if the problem they have is something they’ve lived with for so long that they don’t even see it as a problem.
3. We forget to have the economics discussion (or more conveniently, we ignore it). The money discussion is hard to have, because it can be emotional. But you must have it up front to see what the prospect feels about paying a premium (if in fact your product sells for a premium), or at least how he feels about the financial commitment that he needs to make.
4. We never show up in “get ready position.” Are you ready for anything when you show up at a sales call? Or, are you hoping that the prospect says and does the right thing based on your prompts? You have a long tedious future in sales if you’re not ready for anything the prospect says. The best way to be ready is to be “detached from the outcome.”
5. We think old thoughts. The most common place this shows up is in prospecting. Continue to think that billboard advertising and cold calls are what are going to help you generate more business. The fact is, social media and the entire method prospects use to consume information has changed, and you’d better be attuned to it.

In conclusion, these are some things that you can either start doing or stop doing, depending on whether they’re getting in your way. Good luck!