My Top 5 Bad Sales Tips

Bad sales advice

The Worst Sales Tips I’ve Ever Heard

Bad Sales Advice We’ve All Been Given

I love a good motivational sales tip: especially funny ones that ring true! A good sales tip can:

  • get me motivated when I’m bored
  • remind me to keep my eye on the goal
  •  make me laugh when I’m frustrated

Every sales pro has heard and followed and repeated dozens of sales tips, quotes and stories. But not all sales advice is good – or even true! Here is some of the worst sales advice I’ve heard.

My Top 5 Bad Sales Tips

1.  ABC: Always Be Closing
I loved the movie, I love the quote. There’s more than one close in the sales process; the close is your goal: it’s not your strategy.
My sales tip:

ABL: Always Be Listening

2.  Fake It Til You Make It
Learn your product, study your prospect’s needs, and do your homework. Never fake it to make it.
My sales tip:

Never Stop Learning

3.  Cold Calling Is Dead
Sales techniques have changed as technology has changed, but cold calling is not dead. However, cold calling has changed. Cold calling is, and always has been, hard work. Now thanks to the internet you can thoroughly research your prospect before your call, and instead of a cold call you will have a warm call: a prospect whom you’ve researched to understand their business, needs and challenges before you call or email.
My sales tip:

Warm Calling Works

4.  Just Get Them To Sign On The Dotted Line
Closing is the goal of any sales process. But closing is not the end of the sales process: it’s the beginning of your relationship with your customer. Once the client signs on the dotted line, you have an opportunity to grow your business with repeat business, referrals and testimonials.
My sales tip:

The Sales Relationship Begins When The Client Signs

5.  Never Ask For The Sale
I’ll never understand this one; how do you expect to get the sale if you don’t ask for it? I was recently coaching a sales veteran going through a slump and he was telling me about a recent sales call that went bad. As he gave me the blow-by-blow, I realized what he left out: he never asked for his prospect’s business.
My sales tip:

Always Ask For The Sale

I hope this made you laugh, and think: what’s the worst sales tips you’ve ever heard?

a version of this article originally appeared on LinkedIn

about Anthony Caliendo:
I’m an entrepreneur and sales professional with over 20 years of successful sales and sales management experience. My expertise in sales, marketing and business development spans from small business to international companies.

I’m the best-selling author of The Sales Assassin: Master Your Black Belt in Sales, winner of the 2015 USA Book News business book award for entrepreneurs and small business.

I provide personal sales coaching; and consult, speak and train about growing and motivating your sales team to businesses, corporations and conferences across the nation, as well as a guest contributor and sales expert for TV and radio, and professional organizations.