Sales trainer Kim Duke writes a fun, sassy newsletter with great sales advice. Today she shares what you might accidentally be doing to kill the sale.

Years ago one of my first sales managers was a grouchy, slouched, chain-smoking 65 year old guy who gave me a piece of advice I've never forgotten. I was young and eager to sell television advertising but I was having trouble closing the sale with some customers.

He looked at me over his glasses and said..."Kid, one of the biggest mistakes made by new salespeople is that they talk themselves OUT of the sale. I'd bet $10 that's what you're doing."

And you're probably thinking right now "OK – what the heck does that mean??"

What My Grouchy Old Sales Mentor Can Teach You

Are you ready for this? Most entrepreneurs and salespeople, quite frankly, TALK TOO MUCH.

Are YOU Killing The Sale?

* You're doing all the talking in the first 20 minutes with a customer
* You're info dumping all the features and benefits
* Even when they've agreed to buy – you still talk too much

And then what happens?

You kill the sale.

As my old boss once told me...a potential customer can actually say YES to the sale but then when you keep blabbing away (because deep down you're so excited they said YES) you usually will end up saying something that KILLS THE SALE.

Uh-oh. The customer will say right there that maybe they should speak with their partner, think about it some more, let me "run it past the board"...you get the drift. And within just a few minutes of your client being excited to work with you - the situation is now they can hardly wait for you to leave.

So What's The Solution?

ZIP YOUR LIPS!

When your client has agreed to buy your product or service, let them know the steps/follow-up, thank them for their business and then wrap up the call/meeting and GET OUT.

I listened to Jack all those years ago and it was a timeless piece of advice. Talk less, listen more, show gratitude and follow-up.

Kim Duke is an unconventional, sassy and savvy sales expert who shows women small biz owners and entrepreneurs how to increase sales in a fun, easy, stress-free way! Learn more and sign up for her free e-zine at www.salesdivas.com