Where have all the “lay-downs” gone? You know a lay-down – the easiest sale you have ever made. It takes no work. A customer or prospect called or emailed and practically said, take my money, we need help! Since we are in October, you probably had your lay down already this year. If so, congrats! If not, pay attention to those inches – most all of our sales happen by small margins – like inches.
That is just the way it is – selling takes work. It is not easy (do not let anyone tell you it is). When we make sales it is not by a gigantic margin. We are not the only game in town. We have to work for every bit of the sale. If we are not on top of our game, competition will eat our lunch!
This means that every single thing you do matters. From your initial contact to presenting your solution – everything. What you wear. What you say. What you do not say. Where you sit. What you send. What you ask. What you do not ask. How you respond. How quickly you respond. Everything!
So how are you doing so far? Ever get the feeling your lunch is getting eaten? Stinks, right?
How about hedging that bet? We can tilt the ice in our favor. Here is Top 10 List (David Letterman-style) of Sales Mistakes still being made in 2026 – and costing you those inches – and what you can do about them.
A Top 10 List of Sales Mistakes to Avoid (from the corporate office in Plymouth, Michigan):
10. Leaving a voice mail for your prospect that says, “Just following up…” NO! Everyone you compete with says that! You sound like a stalker. Separate yourself from your c0mpetition by setting an expectation of when you should call to follow up and determine next steps and live up to that expectation. You will stop chasing prospects.
9. Sitting across from prospects or clients on appointments. Remove the barrier that says, “Hey, you want to fight?” When you sit across from someone the space between you both is a barrier. Sit next to prospects and clients (not right next to them; Noon and 3:00 on the clock). Remove the barrier.
8. Giving everyone the same boring pitch. If you have been subscribing to this blog for even a week, then you know how we feel about pitches. Ask questions. Have discussions. Be curious. Determine if you have a fit and be a consultative partner. No pitching!
7. Leaning on email like it’s a crutch. It is so easy to tell you NO over email. It is easy to ignore an email. Stop taking the easy way out. Get in your car and go see people. Unless you are Amazon or eBay that is how sales work in your business.
6. Listening like a 3-year-old. Forget the terrible two’s… my wife and I clearly recall the terrible threes. Our kids did not listen to a thing we said. They were kids. Why do some of you still exhibit brutal listening skills?
5. Dressing to make yourself comfortable. There. Said it. It’s out there. Why do salespeople feel the need to let their self-expression rear its ugly head during the week? Save the trendy, flashy, casual garb for the weekend. Be professional. Dress to make your prospect (or client) feel comfortable.
4. Trash-talking the competition. Never, ever do you speak poorly about your competitors. If your prospect wants to dog your competitor let them. You stay out of it.
3. Not adding value. When salespeople fail to add value, they reduce their product or service to a commodity. Stop making it about WHAT you do and start determining WHY they would need it. Discuss the problem, not the solution.
2. Selling on price. Anyone can sell on price. Why do we need high paid sales pros to discount, lower prices, and cut into margins? Go back to #3 and start asking the tough questions. Then refer to #1.
1. Talking too much. Admit it. It feels good to tell people what you know. When you do that, you make it all about you. When it is all about you it is not about them. When it is not about them they want to look at something else or buy it on price. Would you please shut up for once?
Inches.
