It’s a fact: salespeople are often criticized for talking too much about themselves and their product or service. They make a speech rather than having a two-way conversation. It’s one of the everyday sins salespeople make, according to Patricia Fripp, a sales and customer service expert and author of Get What You Want! and Make It, So You Don’t Have to Fake It! Here are five more common sins in the sales profession and how to avoid them:

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1. Wrong level of abstraction. When you analyze your sales techniques, are you providing the big picture and generalities when your listeners are hungry for details, facts, and specific how-tos? Or are you drowning them in data? Get on the same wavelength with your prospects. For first contacts with executives, describe what your company can do for them in broad generalities. With middle managers, discuss exactly how you can work together, a medium level of abstraction. If you are dealing with IT professionals, use the lowest level of abstraction, lots of facts and figures.

2. No pauses. Few sales presentations have enough pauses. Good music and good communication both contain changes of pace, pauses, and full rests. One of the most effective sales conversion techniques is to give prospects enough time to ask a question or even time to think over what has been said. Pauses allow pondering and understanding.

3. Irritating non-words. Hmm … ah … er. These non-words might be okay occasionally, but not every 30 seconds. Practice in front of your sales manager or colleagues, or video yourself and note any digressions.

4. Not having a strong opening and closing. Engage your audience immediately with a powerful, relevant opening that includes them. For example, “You have an awesome responsibility.” Then fill in what it is: increasing sales, reducing errors, cutting overhead, whatever your product can help your prospect do. Another excellent strategy is to do some research. Then you can say, “Congratulations on your company’s recent success,” and describe it.

5. Misusing technology. Too many salespeople rely heavily on their PowerPoint and flip charts and do not ever make an emotional connection. Technology is usually much more exciting to the person who created it than the person who is watching or listening to it. PowerPoint presentations tend to be wholly informational and don’t connect emotionally to the audience. Make technology a support, not a crutch.

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