Sales Epic Fails

Here are some epic fails, gathered from conversations with salespeople of all kinds. We’re sure none of these have ever happened to you… 

1.  Know Your Audience
Many of the best stories of sales failures begin with the words:  “When I was first starting out …” One of the first lessons a sales rep learns is to know their audience.  A pharmaceutical rep recalled the day she was trying to get an appointment with a doctor and happened to find him in the waiting room when she showed up at his office. She launched into a passionate plea for his time – only to find out she was mistaken and was actually speaking to a patient.  Another rep went to an introductory first meeting with a client, only to arrive and find the room filled with 20 people expecting to hear a detailed proposal. After stumbling through a pitch she developed on the fly, she left without the sale – and without a follow-up appointment. 

2.  Technology Blunders
Perhaps nothing makes a salesperson sweat more than the anticipation of using technology in a presentation. From melting lens caps to burned-out projector bulbs, spotty internet access to crashing computers, the stories are funny only when they happen to someone else. Webinars can be challenging, with all kinds of things popping up when least expected. One rep didn’t turn off his Outlook calendar and a notification for a meeting with his customer’s competitor popped up during his emotional close. Another went through an entire webinar without realizing she had forgotten to share her screen with the attendees – and had them all on mute so nobody could alert her they were staring at a blank screen. 

3.  You Can’t Take that Back
Salespeople love to talk and eventually they all learn that once you blurt something out, you can’t take it back. Unfortunately, some learn the hard way.  One sales rep’s boss was fond of using inappropriate language during presentations. Plenty of salespeople have stories of someone using the wrong customer name during a presentation. Another left hand-written notes out on the conference room table after the presentation that described the customer as “high maintenance.” 

4.  The Customer is Always …
Sometimes it isn’t even the salesperson that brings the meeting to an embarrassing end. Occasionally it’s the customer. On a weekly status call to discuss a new program, the entire team spent ample time discussing the reasons for a change order and the supporting documentation that justified the price. At the end of the meeting, the customer asked, “When are we going to talk about the change order?” In another meeting, this one via conference call, the presentation team skillfully explained their solution, moving enthusiastically from one speaker to another. When they finally took a breath, they heard immediate client feedback: snoring. 

5.  First Impression Fails
Experienced salespeople know that they are always on stage, especially when they visit a customer location. One inexperienced rep was running late and having trouble finding a parking spot in the visitor’s lot when he cut off another driver. After glaring at the person and forcing his way into the spot, he celebrated and arrived on time to the meeting, only to have the other driver join them mid-presentation. She was one of the customers, visiting from another location. 

6. Drowning at C-Level
A highlight of any salesperson’s career is when he or she brings an idea forward that is powerful enough to receive consideration at the highest levels. One sales rep cringed when she recalled the time her customer set up a meeting with the company’s CEO, then showed up 20 minutes late. Rather than apologize, the customer explained he had completely forgotten about the meeting and had still been at home enjoying his coffee. 

7.  Exit, Stage Left
The goal of any good presentation should be to leave your audience wanting more. One very practical salesperson was barely into his pitch when he realized the whole room was bored, checking their phones and getting up often to refill their coffee. He leveled with the group and said, “I can see this isn’t working, maybe I should just quit here.” The thankful group agreed, shook his hand and sent him on his way. One minor problem: the door he chose to exit the meeting led into a closet. It’s never too late to make one last mistake. 

Epic fails like this certainly aren’t exclusive to salespeople but when you swing for the fences on a daily basis, you’re bound to strike out once in awhile.  And before you start looking for a closet to hide in, remember the science of behavioral economics teaches us about a very useful theory called the spotlight effect. It’s ingrained in human nature to overestimate the amount of attention that is paid to us. You may vividly remember the time you tried to quietly enter a meeting after it had already started, only drawing attention to yourself when your cell phone started ringing with the obnoxious song your teenage daughter downloaded over the weekend. Chances are nobody else recalls seeing you in that particular meeting, let alone remembers your grand entrance.