3 Mistakes Killing Your Sales Right Now and How to Fix Them

I've closed over $15 million in high-ticket sales. Probably closer to $20 million, but I'm not going back to count everything.

And I can now spot these mistakes from a mile away.

If you're wondering why some sales calls feel easier than others, I'm about to explain why. Because these three mistakes are killing your close rate right now.

Mistake #1: You're Treating Every Buyer the Same

You're using the same script. Asking the same questions. Giving the same presentation to every single person on your calls.

Here's the problem: different people make decisions completely differently. They make them at different speeds, based on different buying patterns and techniques.

If you can't adapt to that on the fly, you're going to drag out the entire sales process.

You could close somebody in one call, a cold call even, but you're losing people because you don't know how to sell to them.

Sometimes you need to speed up the process for certain people. And sometimes, believe it or not, you need to slow down.

If you come at certain personality types like a bat out of hell with "we're gonna do this today," you're going to lose them. They're never going to buy from you. They're going to think you're batshit crazy.

The Fix:

Increase your emotional intelligence. Create your capacity to read people.

Once you understand somebody's personality type, you know exactly how fast their sales process moves. From their entire lead-to-client journey, are they going to purchase in seven days? Seven months?

There's a huge difference in buyer personalities on how quickly somebody will purchase.

You'll also figure out what questions to ask, when to ask them, when to shut up, and when to just take the credit card.

Start learning about personalities. Enneagrams, Human Design, Myers-Briggs, DISC, the GEMS methodology. There are so many personality assessments out there.

When you start to learn more about other personalities and get out of your own head, you will be kickass at sales. I promise.

Mistake #2: You're Over-Explaining Because You Don't Believe in Your Price

This one makes me want to shake people.

You go through your discovery call, get to the pitch, and instead of doing a two to three minute pitch, you're talking for 10 straight minutes. 15 straight minutes.

You're walking through every single feature, every single benefit, every single bonus.

Because deep down, you're not actually confident in what you're charging yet.

So just like any other time you're not confident or anxious or nervous, what do you do? You talk, talk, talk, talk, talk.

You try to justify your price point. You over-explain.

And your prospect is sitting there like, "What in the actual fuck?"

They're overwhelmed. They're confused. And now you've put them into that "I need to think about it" stage because you've given them way too much information to process.

The Fix:

Give them the need-to-know information. What they need to know is: how much it is, can you help them, and how are you going to help them. Not what's included.

Confident sellers diagnose the problem and present a clear solution. That's it.

Think about going to the doctor. They ask you questions, diagnose your problem, and give you a solution with next steps. They don't go into what the medication is made of, why they got their degree, why they're in this clinic.

They don't over-explain. They ask questions, diagnose, give a solution, tell you the next steps. That's it.

If you don't believe in your pricing, lower your price until you're 100% confident.

I know this might be counterintuitive, but you need to believe in your pricing. Otherwise, you're never going to close a deal.

If you have a hard time saying $5,000 on a call but you're fine saying $3,000, then say $3,000 until you get three to five signups. Then bump it up to $3,500 or $4,000. Get three to five more signups. Bump it up again.

Do this until you get to the price point your market will pay and what's profitable for you.

When you believe in your pricing, you no longer have to convince anyone. You don't give a shit. Take it or leave it.

You don't need to sit there and say, "Oh, but you get this and you get this and you get this."

When you have confidence and conviction in your value and pricing and the way you're able to help somebody, they will feel that.

You just help them see if this is the right fit. Present the offer. Walk them through the next steps.

Mistake #3: Your Follow-Up Game Is Either Non-Existent or Desperate

You're either not following up at all, or when you do, you're like:

"Hey, just checking in." "Hey, just checking in." "Hey, just checking in." "Were you still thinking about working together?"

This is cringe-worthy.

Stop ghosting your people. Or stop sending a bajillion follow-ups with the exact same message, which makes you sound desperate.

The Fix:

Follow-up isn't just about persistence. It's about adaptation.

If someone doesn't respond to your first message, sending the exact same thing is not going to work.

Think about you. How many times have you gotten the same exact message and you're just like report to junk, delete, block, stop, unsubscribe?

Change your approach based on their buyer type.

If they're a Ruby, ask a direct question. If they're a Sapphire, ask a funny question. If they're an Emerald, ask a data-specific question. If they're a Pearl, ask a heartfelt question.

Be very specific and curiosity-driven.

Some people need space to think. Some need urgency. Some need more information. Some need hand holding.

But you can't know this if you don't actually understand how they make decisions.

I literally had somebody I followed up with three or four different times. She didn't reply to any of those messages. Then three days later, out of the blue, she was like, "Hey, so sorry, meant to get back to you."

I knew she was reading my messages. I know when people are reading messages. She was opening my emails, watching my stories.

She was totally avoiding me, probably in a freeze response. "If I don't do anything, then maybe I won't have to make a decision."

When you're making a big decision, all your shit comes up. If you've ever invested in anything big before, you know exactly what I'm talking about.

Then she messaged me back: "This is still on my to-do list."

I'll continue to follow up once a month until she tells me to stop or until she becomes a client.

I know what her personality type is, so I know what I can say and what I can't say.

The Bottom Line

When you learn your buyer types, when you learn to read them, everything shifts.

Start doing personality research. Learn how people think, act, feel, and process information.

Get out of your own head and learn about other personalities. Apply what you learn to sales and marketing.

That's really my area of expertise: sales psychology. How the mind works, how people make decisions, and how that can help us scale our business.

Not just one single-minded framework. Adapt that framework to your personality and your buyer's personalities so you can really take things to the next level.

Ready to stop guessing and start closing? Check out Groundwork at salesmama.biz/groundwork. It's on sale now, so take advantage before the price increases.

We dive into how to scale your business, the different buyer personalities, how to hit your first $10K month, funnels, automations, and ads. It's the basics of everything you need to know. It's literally laying the groundwork for you to scale.

Listen to the full episode: Sales Mama Podcast on Apple Podcasts

Connect with me:

• Instagram: @salesmamaschool
• Instagram: @sausha.davis

Sausha Davis is the founder of Sales Mama School, helping women entrepreneurs scale through personality-based selling and authentic sales strategies. She's closed over $15 million in high-ticket sales and specializes in sales psychology.