Here are five more proven ways you can avoid all of the pressure of finding yourself in the top 20% of salespeople. Add these to the original eleven.

12. Treat People Without Titles or Authority Poorly

If these people can’t help you get what you want, then they are worthless and meaningless and should be treated to a full dose of your contempt and condescension. They have no influence within their own company and wouldn’t dream of sharing the way that you treated them with the people that they work for and that you are trying to sell.

13. Never Say Thank You

You did an outstanding job selling your product or service. You delivered. A deal is a deal. There is no reason to show your gratitude for having been given your client’s opportunity and their trust.

In fact, your client probably owes you a thank you card!

14. Procrastinate

Sales is a profession for people with great personalities. And you are one! You need time to practice building rapport, keeping up on the latest water cooler chatter, and to practice being gregarious.

Client calls? They can wait; they’re already clients, right?

Reporting? Please. Everybody can see how hard you are working.

Prospecting? It’s for people who can’t sell.

Relax. This work will still be here when you come in tomorrow.

15. Take All of the Credit

You won the deal. It’s going great. This is all due to your hard work alone. Was anyone there with you when you dialed the client? Were they there with you when you made your first sales call? Did they push this deal through legal?

This dream client is only here because you went out and sold it. Make sure everybody knows it and take complete and total credit for the success!

16. Take None of the Blame! Hide When the Trouble Starts.

You are in sales. And sales isn’t operations, is it?

Then execution isn’t your problem.

The people who missed the delivery dates don’t sell, and you don’t work in operations. These people are going to cost you your client! But they made the mess and they need to clean up.

Wait to check in with the client until the problems are solved and they have time to cool off . . . you wouldn’t want your team’s challenges to damage the relationship you worked so hard to develop, now would you?

For more on increasing your sales effectiveness, subscribe to the RSS Feed for The Sales Blog and my Email Newsletter. Follow me on Twitter, connect to me on LinkedIn, or friend me on Facebook. If I can help you or your sales organization, check out my coaching and consulting firm, B2B Sales Coach & Consultancy, email me, or call me at (614) 212-4279.

Read my interview with Tom Peters (Part One and Part Two).

Read my Blogs.com featured guest post on the Top Ten Sales blogs.

Read my monthly post on Sales Bloggers Union.

Get The Sales Blog iPhone App to read The Sales Blog and Twitter Feed on your iPhone.

Related posts:

1. To Ensure You Obtain the Outcome You Need, Plan Your Sales Call Some salespeople are blessed with a natural ability to think on their feet. In client interactions, they thrive on the hardball questions and the give...
2. Six Ways You Can Try Harder In Sales Make One More Call: You have called your dream client dozens of times in the past. You haven’t been able to get any receptive contact...
3. Chasing the Bottom Lately I have spent a lot of time thinking about how many sales organizations sell price and why they do so. Here are a few...
4. 10 Ways To Be More Strategic and Less Transactional It’s easy to get trapped in a transactional relationship with your dream client when you should have one that is deeper and more strategic. You...