Those who know me, know that I have a passion for sports cars. 

Call me crazy, but in my opinion, there is nothing better than a Lamborghini Murcielago. The car is sleek, sexy, fast and just downright a joy to look at. 

If you have ever had the pleasure of sitting in one, you know that it is also notorious for having a huge blind spot. It is so bad, that when you go to back it up, you have to open the door and stick your head outside to see where you are going. 

Blind spots are dangerous. And they are not unique to cars.

A blind spot is an unrecognized weakness that has the potential to undermine business. Blind spots stem from overconfidence, too much information, emotional thinking or poor communication. The most dangerous blind spots affect those who are unaware of their impact on customers.

When I talk about blind spots in your sales process, I am talking about something you do that threatens your sale, and you are not even aware of it. 

Here is an example of what I mean. 

A while back, I was on a call with one of my sales professionals. Let's call him Jimmy the Sales Guy. Jimmy is a great sales rep. He knows the product inside and out, he understands the business needs of who he is selling into, and he has a personality to rival that of Tony Robbins. 

Jimmy also is not afraid to ask the tough questions. And with the tough questions, come his blind spot. 

Jimmy has the CIO of a large healthcare company on the line and is walking him down the path of why he should purchase. During the call, he hits him with a compelling question, but before the CIO has a chance to respond, Jimmy answers his own question. Throughout the call, he ends up doing this a number of times.

After the meeting, I sit down with him to have a debrief. Unbeknownst to Jimmy, he never realized he was even doing this. Him answering his own questions was his sales blind spot.

Even the most experienced of us have blind spots. The question you have to ask yourself is how do you avoid, or eliminate, your blind spots? While the answer is simple, the execution is often hampered by ego. 

So here are a handful of tips.

• Proactively and regularly solicit feedback on your sales approach at every opportunity and from multiple sources: Your manager, your peers, trainers, and customers.
• Schedule regular “relationship meetings” with your best customers with the intent of obtaining feedback. Let them know your goal is continuous improvement and that you want candid input. 
• Get clear on what you do well, what you need to differently or do more. And what needs to stop.
• Be open to hearing what is said even when you disagree. Do not be tempted to discount or defend. Listen from a place of curiosity, and thank each person for their support.
• Make time to reflect on the implication of their words. And then act.

Questions:

What are your sales blind spots?

How can you avoid them?

Is there really a better car than the Murcielago???