Which Toxic Sales Assets Do You Need to Dump Today?

It's not enough to work harder these days - you also have to work smarter. One way to work smarter is to take a step back to examine your sales skills - what works for you, and what doesn't. Sales expert and author Jill Konrath recently wrote a piece about toxic sales assets that many people have, yet don't realize. Keep an eye out for these during your self-assessment, and you'll be working smarter in no time.

Here are just a few of the toxic sales assets Konrath sees every day.

--Winging It: Failing to adequately prepare for sales calls is enough to get you dismissed or deleted immediately by time-sensitive decision makers.

--Diarrhea of the Mouth: If you're doing the majority of the talking, you're negatively impacting your credibility and connection with your customers.

--Inadequate Knowledge: Today's buyers have no tolerance for sellers who refuse to "pay the price of admission" and haven't researched their organization.

--Product/Service Dumps: The people you're calling on don't care about your offering. Period. If that's your focus, they'll tune you out in no time flat.

--Too Much Too Quick: When you rush the sales or give too much data in one meeting, your prospect gets overwhelmed and pulls back from you.

None of us are immune from screwing up! The key is to be ruthless in analyzing your sales assets. What worked for you in the past may no longer be effective. In fact, it may have actually turned into a toxic sales asset that needs to be removed from your portfolio.

After every call, analyze what worked and where you ran into trouble. Be on the lookout for toxic behaviors that cause your customers to throw up objections, tell you they're not interested or choose another company to work with.

Hanging onto those toxic sales assets of dubious value could lead to lost opportunities, a major meltdown in your pipeline and potentially, the demise of your sales career.

No one is going to bail you out! Dump those toxic sales assets today. Your ability to replace ineffective sales skills with new ones is essential for your ongoing success.

Jill Konrath, author of Selling to Big Companies, helps sellers crack into corporate accounts, shorten sales cycles and win big contracts. She is a frequent speaker at annual sales meetings and association events. Visit http://www.SellingtoBigCompanies.com.