Autumn is the time of year when reality sets in. The long, sunny days wind down, kids go back to school, and before long, it’s time for report cards. During the fall months, business owners and salespeople are also learning and taking stock of business conditions and company sales performance metrics.

Forbes contributor Kathy Caprino’s insightful article “10 Essential Selling Principles Most Salespeople Get Wrong” discusses some of the mistakes people make as they push for new sales. Caprino reviews some alternative rules of salesmanship advocated by Sandler Training, a leader in sales training and development, including:

• Ask questions. Look for the real problems your business prospect faces. Search for their real goals. Often the prospect talks about the symptoms, not the core business problem.
• Don’t talk too much. Focus on listening to and learning from the prospect first and foremost.
• Help your prospect discover reasons why they should buy from you. Prospects don’t want to be told what to do. Give examples of how other companies have benefited from your products or services.
• Don’t jump to conclusions. Get the facts from the prospect about what they need. Clarify anything you find unclear, including budget parameters.
• Learn when to walk away. You are not an unpaid consultant. Time you spend on a resistant prospect may be better spent exploring other leads.
• Address potential problems before they derail your client relationship. Most people are ready and willing to work with you if you’re open and honest about glitches.

For more rules, review the article in Forbes for the “10 Essential Selling Principles Most Salespeople Get Wrong”