In sales, as in any profession, success is rarely based on doing extraordinary things, but on doing ordinary things extraordinarily well. Here are six common mistakes salespeople make in generating leads, according to Arthur Miller, author of Selling Financial Services:

1. Failure to qualify. It’s critical to distinguish between a suspect and a prospect. A suspect is a lead, someone you may have reason to call on; a prospect is a qualified lead. A prospect has a need you can satisfy, a reasonable decision process, a budget, and the authority to buy from you.

2. Talking too much. Selling is not telling. Dialogue and listening are more important than sales pitches.

3. Jumping the gun. Poor salespeople present products before understanding the prospect’s needs. Effective salespeople sell solutions, not specifications.

4. Poor probing. Think of 10 questions you can ask your prospects about their business. Be sure the questions start with who, what, where, when, or how.

5. Not understanding the decision process. There are three types of people involved in the decision process: decision makers, who have the authority to decide and control the budget; recommenders, who are responsible for gathering information and evaluating options but have little authority; and influencers, whose opinions are respected by decision makers and recommenders. Salespeople need to invest time with recommenders before trying to reach a decision maker.

6. Writing too many proposals. Many salespeople believe that if they write enough proposals, something good will happen. Writing a proposal for a suspect is a waste of time; write them only for qualified prospects.

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