Sales Calls: Are You Preparing Too Much or Not Enough?

A recent issue of Fortune magazine (Oct. 6, 2008) focused on the “…deepest secrets of great selling”. Among several valuable articles, one that caught my eye was titled Sales Slip-Ups, which described the top 10 mistakes salespeople make. 

Two of the mistakes appear to be at odds, but make perfect sense to me:
* Failing to prepare
* Preparing too much

Failure to plan for a sales call is a common mistake made that we frequently cite in our workshops. Consider this statistic: a typical sales call costs about $1,000. Would you purchase something for $1,000 without giving it any thought?  Of course, preparation includes knowing everything you need to know about your product or service, but most importantly knowing everything you need to know about your client or prospect, as well as your competition.  There is no doubt that this preparation involves doing your homework!

Yet, preparing too much can also be a mistake. The Fortune article states that too much preparation will make a seller sound as if he or she is following a script. Although we don’t talk about this mistake as much, I certainly agree with the author. Appearing as if you are following a script creates an uncomfortable and unnatural atmosphere.  While detailed preparation is critical, remaining personable and staying connected to your audience is perhaps equally important. 

Based on your experience, what do you think about these two questions?  First, what are some other common mistakes made by salespeople? Second, for the mistakes cited above, do you think failing to prepare or preparing too much is the greater problem?

Let us know what you think!

- Bill McCormick, President of Sales Training And Results, Inc. (STAR)