The Scary Stuff That Salespeople Do and What to Do Instead!
Introduction
It’s Halloween, and while the neighborhood kids are gearing up for costumes and candy, I’ve been thinking about something far scarier than skeletons and witches: the outdated, ineffective, and downright cringeworthy behaviors that still haunt B2B sales teams.
In my recent webinar with Allego, Scary Stuff Salespeople Do (And What to Do Instead), we took a flashlight to the dark corners of selling and uncovered 14 behaviors that send buyers running—and 14 best practices that top sales performers use to win trust and close deals.
If you’ve ever wondered why some reps consistently outperform others, or why your team’s “best practices” aren’t producing the results you expect, this one’s for you.
Let’s dig in.
The 14 Scary Sales Behaviors That Should Be Dead & Buried!
- Pitching instead of solving: Reps still default to product pitches, often before understanding the buyer’s needs. It’s the fastest way to lose credibility and the buyer’s interest.
- Avoiding research: Showing up to a call without knowing the buyer’s company, role, or challenges? That’s not just lazy—it’s disrespectful.
- Little to no prep: “Winging it” might work in improv comedy, but in sales, it leads to missed opportunities and muddled messaging.
- Ignoring individual exit criteria: Reps often push deals forward based on their own timeline, ignoring what the buyer needs to feel confident moving ahead.
- Making assumptions: Assuming you know the buyer’s problem, budget, or decision process is a shortcut to misalignment and lost deals.
- Not peeling the onion: Surface-level discovery doesn’t cut it. Without digging deeper, reps miss the real drivers behind the buyer’s needs.
- Lying or stretching the truth: Whether it’s exaggerating capabilities or hiding limitations, dishonesty kills trust—and trust is the currency of sales.
- “Overcoming” objections: Rebuttals and scripted responses feel combative. Buyers want their concerns addressed, not dismissed.
- Failing to qualify: Chasing every lead wastes time and energy. Qualification isn’t gatekeeping—it’s a service to both parties.
- Being seller-centric: Talking about your product, your company, your features… instead of the buyer’s goals, challenges, and outcomes.
- Technique-driven selling: Buyers can smell a “technique” a mile away. When reps rely on tricks instead of genuine conversation, they lose trust.
- Manipulation disguised as influence: Jedi mind tricks and psychological hacks don’t build relationships. Influence without empathy is just manipulation.
- Frankenstein methodologies: Piecing together random tactics from books, blogs, and bootcamps leads to inconsistency and confusion—for both reps and buyers.
- Ghosting prevention that causes ghosting: Over-following up, pressure tactics, and guilt trips often drive buyers away. The intent is good, but the execution is scary.
The 14 Best Practices That Top Sales Performers Use Instead!
- Buyer-centric messaging & value communication: Top reps speak the buyer’s language. They frame value from the buyer’s perspective and co-create solutions that matter.
- Sales methodology mastery: They follow a consistent, buyer-aligned methodology like Modern Sales Foundations (MSF), using frameworks like NASA (Need And Solution Alignment) to guide conversations.
- Consultative selling & ethical influence: They diagnose before prescribing, ask great questions, listen actively, and guide buyers toward their desired outcomes.
- Momentum-driven engagement: They keep deals moving with relevant insights and timely follow-ups—not just “checking in.”
- Authentic communication over techniques: They communicate like humans, not scripts. Real empathy and curiosity beat rehearsed lines every time.
- Alignment with the buyer’s decision journey: They map their process to the buyer’s journey, understanding stages, stakeholders, and decision criteria.
- Clear next steps & progress planning: They define mutual next steps, use shared timelines, and collaborate to keep deals alive.
- Advance research and sales call planning: They come prepared, knowing the buyer’s context and tailoring their approach accordingly.
- Effective meeting leadership: They run meetings with clear objectives, mutual value, and purposeful outcomes.
- “Peeling the onion” for deep understanding: They dig beneath surface-level answers to uncover root causes and true motivations.
- Sincere empathy and emotional intelligence: They acknowledge emotions, perspectives, and build rapport through genuine connection.
- Thoughtful qualification as a service: They qualify with care, helping buyers assess fit and saving everyone time.
- Situation assessment to build a business case: They assess the buyer’s current state and build compelling cases for change.
- Truth-telling to build trust and integrity: They’re honest about limitations, transparent about process, and earn trust through integrity.
Closing Thoughts: A Smarter Path Forward
If your sales team is “doing everything right” and still losing deals, it might be time to rethink what “right” looks like. Teaching reps to think and improve communication skills—not just execute standard fare methodology—can be your competitive advantage.
My Modern Sales Foundations course at SPARXiQ was built with this philosophy in mind. It’s not about scripts or techniques. It’s about enabling strategic, caring, problem-solving, buyer-centric conversations that drive results.
This isn’t a pitch. It’s a call to rethink how we develop sales talent. Because in today’s complex B2B world, the best sellers aren’t the ones who follow the playbook. They’re the ones who know how to execute it more effectively and when to rewrite it.
If you’re rethinking how your team sells, and you want to build thinkers, not just doers, I’d be happy to share more about what’s working.
Related Resources
Sales Methodology Courses:
Webinar Recording & Resources:
Articles:
This article was previously published as a LinkedIn newsletter, here.
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