Sales managers scratch their heads. “Right from the start, I wasso sure Carl would be a top performer. I would have put money onit. But before I knew it, he crashed and burned.”

It's an old story, and one that often ends with the same words:“I wasn't cut out for sales.” Maybe. But probably not. Poortraining, inadequate support, and unrealistic expectations can eachplay a role in disappointing results.

Even so, what causes potentially good salespeople to fail haslittle or nothing to do with poor sales skills. The real harm isself-inflicted. Salespeople can sabotage themselves.

Here are 14 ways that unsuccessful salespeople tend to wrecktheir careers:

1. Tell a customer they will take care of somethingand then don't do it. Why worry about it? It'snothing an “I'm sorry,” a little schmoozing, a bouquet of flowers,or a gift card can't correct. Anyway, it wasn't thatimportant. That's not how customers see it. Their actions revealthe truth of who they are.

2. See themselves as special. The“salesperson's disease” is catching. It's transmitted by rubbingshoulders with other salespeople. The major symptom is the beliefthat they're the reason for the company's success so that givesthem permission to break the rules, and to look down on everyoneelse. Oh, yes, the disease is fatal.

3. Puff up their record. Nosalesperson needs to take a course in “The Fine Art ofAmplification.” Whether it's with customers, each other or theboss, exaggeration comes naturally for too many salespeople. And,then, they come to believe their own baloney.

Avoid these behaviors if you hope to success in insurancesales. (Photo: iStock)

4. Avoid asking for help. Manysalespeople see themselves as operating on their own, beholden tono one, and totally responsible for their destiny. And thatincludes asking for help, which they view as a sign of weakness andsomething they can't live with—even when it costs themcustomers.

5. Criticize but don't contribute. Youknow these salespeople, they're quick to tell you what's wrong inevery part of the company: why revenues are down, what's wrong withthe product line, or who in management should be dumped. Yet, whenasked to contribute their ideas or make suggestions, they havenothing to say. Such behavior pushes them out the door.

6. Do enough to get by. They're guidedby some preset internal gauge that sets strict limits, letting themgo only so far before banging on the brakes. These are outliers tobe sure. They're ignored when there's a crisis or unexpectedcrunch. In a word, they're superfluous to the company'ssuccess.

7. Ignore deadlines. It started outearly in life. Their school projects were always late and arrivedwith an attached excuse. Now their reports are predictably late,along with customer proposals and just about everything else, evenexpense reports. It's as if deadlines were made for others, not forthem. And they can't figure out why the boss has it in forthem.

8. Always make sure they look good.Whether it's customers, associates, or the boss, their goal is tomake sure that, at all cost, they come out looking good. They avoidtaking responsibility (a sign of weakness) at all cost. Althoughthey don't see it, their behavior is so transparent no one trustsanything they say or do.

9. Sell what they want to sell.Salespeople always have favorite customers, but many also have petproducts. They're not complex, don't cause problems, and they'reeasy to sell. Some come with a robust commission. Whether or notthey're a good fit for customers is not the issue.

10. Cut corners. Shrinking the job toreduce work is a disease that infects may sales careers. “Forgetit. It's just means extra work,” “I don't have time to do that,” or“Frankly, that's crazy. Who comes up with such stupid ideas?” Everysalesperson heard such words whispered in sales meetings or seeneyes roll. Selling success comes from enhancing the process, notcutting it down to your own size.

When it comes to sales, the old adage about the customeralways being right still rings true. (Photo:iStock)

11. Think that they've got it made.From all indications, they've worked hard, done a good job, andenjoyed the rewards. As they see it, they've paid their dues. Nowit's time to cut them some slack so they can set their own pace.It's time for a little preferential treatment like getting some ofthe better leads. If that's what's going through their mind,they're on your way—out, not up.

12. Lay on the jargon. They believeusing all the right words impresses customers and wins them over.So they get the jargon down pat and stay on top of the latestcorporate speak. Yes, customers want to be impressed, but not with jargon. What they want is asalesperson who takes time to understand them by asking goodquestions and who makes sure they're comfortable with their buyingdecision. That's impressive.

13. Decide who will buy and who won't.They may be smart, savvy and have lots of experience. They've comeface-to-face with just about every type of customer and they thinkthey know who will buy and who won't. All they need is a couple ofseconds. It's as if they have a sixth sense about customers. Somesalespeople have it and some don't. It sounds so good, it'salmost convincing. But it's just plain nonsense, an exercise inself-deception. In selling it's what the customer thinks thatcounts, not what's floating around in a salesperson head.

14. Believing that customers lovethem. It's The Great Sales Con Game. It's easy forsalespeople to think customers love them: “You are thebest.” “I don't know what we'd do without you.” “We're so lucky youcame along.” It's enough to make the ego do somersaults. It's feelgood stuff, but here's the question that counts: Do your customersrespect you? When you think about it, it isn't easy to sabotage asales career. Yet, if you put your mind to the task, you can doit.

Related:

9 deficiencies that lead to poor salesresults

3 old-school selling techniques you mustavoid

Don't make these 8 mistakes when sellingP&C insurance