How Do Your Sales Service Habits Measure Up?
Take This Sale’s Success Quiz and Find Out!


By Debbie Allen, All Rights Reserved 

Salespeople all have behaviors or habits that hold them back in one form or another to reaching their peak sales potential.  When salespeople form limited behaviors or habits, they sabotage more and more sales opportunities.  The more limiting the behavior, the more it prevents success.  On the other hand, the most successful salespeople in the world learn how to overcome the personal behavior and habits that have sabotaged their opportunities in the past.

What habits have you already formed to service your customers before and after the sale?  Evaluate your sales and service habits by taking the quiz below.  Place a check mark in front of  all the questions that you can easily and honestly answer with a YES.  Note: Be completely honest with yourself-this is the only way you can form more productive service habits. 

___ 1. Do you avoid judging others when you first meet them and give everyone the same respect and courtesy? 

___ 2. Do you continually take the time to learn more about how to improve your sales skills with an open mind?

___ 3. Are you well prepared before every sales call?

___ 4. Do you prioritize your work with sales at the top of the list every day?

___ 5. Do you make every effort to focus on a positive and to radiate contagious enthusiasm every day?

___ 6. Do you understand who your core customer is and what triggers them to buy?

___ 7. Are you getting into the minds and hearts of a core target market with your sales and marketing message?

___ 8. Do you know why a prospective customer would want to buy from you instead of your competitor?

___ 9. Do you have a personal USP (unique selling position)?

___ 10. Do you have sales goals written out for the next six months to three years?

___ 11. Do you speak your goals out loud to others in the form of affirmations?

___ 12. Do you visualize your sales success at the start of each day?

___ 13. Do you listen well and ask questions that allow you to have a complete understanding of your customer’s needs, wants, and/or concerns?

___ 14. Are you always honest with your customers?

___ 15. Do you avoid aggressive sales behavior at all times?

___ 16. Do you respect your customer’s right to reject and/or object to your offer?

___ 17. Do you send business to your friendly competitors when you can’t make a sale?

___ 18. Are you focused on always making the customer feel important?

___ 19. Do you return a customer’s call promptly when they have a problem or concern?

___ 20. Do you have an organized system for follow-up and follow-through?

___ 21. Do you offer your customers a reward for their referrals?

___ 22. Do you send personalized thank-you notes to your customers for their business and referrals?

___ 23. Do you seek out innovative ways to sell and market to prospective customers?

___ 24. Do you stay in touch with existing customers through a direct mail piece a minimum of six times a year?

___ 25. Do you diversify your sales message to different genders and generations?

___ 26. Do you listen 70 percent or more of the time during your sales presentation?

___ 27. Do you consider yourself a resource and/or support system for your customers?

___ 28. Do you sincerely empathize with your customers’ concerns and problems?

___ 29. Do you enjoy solving problems and/or discovering innovative solutions to the needs of your customers?

___ 30. Do you consider yourself a real “people person” who loves meeting new people?

___ 31. Do you know the details about your products and/or services inside and out?

___ 32. Do you get to know all that you can about the competition, including their strengths and weaknesses, inventory, and/or services?

___ 33. Do you consider yourself a knowledgeable “expert” within your industry?

___ 34. Do you have a sales mentor who keeps you motivated and inspired?

___ 35. Do you go beyond your customers’ expectations with added value?

___ 36. Do you read sales books and trade journals within your industry to keep your knowledge and expertise cutting-edge?

___ 37. Have you introduced yourself to complementary companies where your customers also buy from, and created alliances to share referrals?

___ 38. Do you promote yourself effectively within your community on a regular basis?

___ 39. Do you attend networking events to seek out prospective customers and new business alliances?

___ 40. Are you ASKING your customers for testimonials and using them in your marketing message? 

Next, rate yourself on the scale below by adding up all the “Yes” responses on your list.

0-20     You’ve got a lot to learn about selling effectively. Read, study, and learn from other successful salespeople. Be a sponge for knowledge!

15-25   Reevaluate your sales and service strategies.  Ask for help and change ineffective habits!  

25-35   Good job!  You are a sales pro who is open to constant improvement and learning new habits. Keep learning, growing, and improving all the time.

35-40   You are working at your peak sales potential.  Keep up the great work and mentor others who need your support. 

890 word count

Bio: Debbie Allen is one of the world’s leading authorities on sales and marketing.  She is the author of five books including Confessions of Shameless Self Promoters and Skyrocketing Sales.  Debbie has helped thousands of people around the world attract customers like crazy with her innovative, no-cost marketing strategies and secrets to sales success.  Her expertise has been featured in Entrepreneur, Selling Power and Sales & Marketing Excellence.  Sign up for her FREE 6-week e-Course Business Success Secrets Revealed ($97 value) and take the online business card quiz to rate your marketing online now at www.DebbieAllen.com.