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There's a rather common belief among selling professionals that business slows down in the summer months. However, this is mostly a self-fulfilling prophecy created by professionals telling themselves that despite strong efforts, the summer months will be tough.

Every business owner and manager is probably aware that the need for approval can greatly impede a salesperson’s results, but very few managers address this issue with their sales teams. Moreover, salespeople are never consciously aware of how this weakness is affecting them when they are trying to make business happen.

Have you ever given a presentation to a prospect who seemed ready to buy… but then found that, for some mysterious reason, the opportunity went nowhere once your presentation was complete?

Has this ever happened to you? You’re in the middle of your second or third “good discussion” with a prospect. Everything’s going great. The prospect seems engaged and positively disposed to work with you.

The performance barriers that have the greatest impact on sales success aren't so obvious.These are hidden weaknesses, and when they are present can neutralize one’s strengths and prevent one from adopting and implementing new strategies and tactics that could make a remarkable difference in their results. So here are five of these major sales related weaknesses.

Has this ever happened to you? During an initial discussion with a prospect, you make it a point to review your pricing information. You put everything right out on the table. The prospect tells you the price you mention “looks fine” (or is “OK,” or “seems fair,” or is “in the ballpark,” or any similar piece of vagueness). The prospect then tells you to put together a couple of samples, designs, or prototypes.

Most everyone knows the importance of defining their goals, but very few actually take the time to determine precisely what they wish to achieve, and then build a plan to accomplish just that.

Having a big pipeline of “prospects” is typically seen as desirable. The more prospects you put into the pipeline, the more will eventually emerge as customers. At least that’s the theory!

We have all experienced it. We thought we hired Julia Roberts or Tom Cruise, but they ended up performing more like Ruth Buzzi or Rodney Dangerfield. Most managers and owners have grown to accept this experience as part of recruiting salespeople.

Are you displaying too much "magic" in your sales presentations?