The 12 most common Major Account Selling mistakes made by technology companies:

1. Overreliance on technology

Relying on your technology to gain competitive advantage to the exclusion of other important market factors.

2. Not protecting current accounts

Not satisfying and protecting your existing current major accounts. (Chasing after what you don't have at the expense of what you do.)

3. Being all things to all people

Trying to be all things to all people versus focusing on a well-defined major account customer target.

4. Sales vs. relationship focus

Viewing and treating major account selling like a sale versus a customer development process—a.k.a. coming from a "sell to" versus a "sell through" frame of reference.

5. One size fits all

Having a single sales strategy for all major accounts despite their individual needs and marketplace.

6. Lack of customer knowledge

Not knowing your customer and your customer's customer.

7. Rhetoric instead of value

Relying on persona and sales techniques instead of value propositions and value delivery.

8. Lack of a team approach

Not instituting and using a "team sales" approach which includes your company management, marketing, sales, and customer service operating under a cohesive plan.

9. Not managing customer expectations

Failing to understand, set, and manage customer expectations—i.e., over-promising and under-delivering.

10. Living in the past

Relying on past actions and relationships to carry a new day and a new customer situation, especially one with a new cast of characters.

11. Not knowing all the people

Not knowing about all of the buying influences involved in the sale and what each is looking for in the relationship.

12. Not benchmarking performance

Not benchmarking performance and ROI after the agreements are signed.

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