Sales leads come in many different forms, yet few sales reps adjust their sales follow-up process to sync with the latest intelligence available about those leads. If not careful, they could be turning qualified sales leads into "not interested" responses or even worse, turn them off to their competitors.

According to Al Davidson, founder of Strategic Sales & Marketing, these are the top 3 ways that sales reps kill their sales leads:

• Failing to gather up-to-date business intelligence. A customer's pain points can evolve during the nurturing process. And in the rush to set appointments and close deals, sales reps might not ask the questions needed to suggest relevant solutions for current problems such as, the customer being concerned about mpg, hands free technology, or 3rd row seating.
• Putting the customer on the defensive. Don't put words in your prospect's mouth—for instance, starting out with, "I understand that you are in the market for a new vehicle,” is kind of redundant. Isn’t that why your prospect is there? Instead, begin with an open-ended question based on something you already know about this customer: "I understand you are looking for a Ford F-150, were you partial to any features?”
• Asking about budget too quickly. When this question comes too early in the conversation, a customer tends to feel that you're more concerned about your commission than their interest in a vehicle. Instead, of asking up front for the prospect's budget, talk about costs and benefits. Show them how one model is more fuel efficient than another, how the park assist feature will help them, or even how the hands free technology is a great safety feature.

If you understand the questions a consumer asks during the buying process and analyze each question to find out what the customer really needs (Ex: asking about low mpg does not mean the customer wants to buy a hybrid vehicle) , your answers and follow up with the consumer can be more helpful to them. Avoid the mistakes mentioned above and you should see an increase in sales (and sales leads), customer retention, and brand loyalty.