With buyers not flooding our showrooms these days, but with new hope that yesterday’s half-point rate cut by the Fed may make boat loans more attractive, it’s most important that the sales team be alert and prepared to avoid making mistakes that could doom a transaction.

Perhaps what spurred this blog was the movie I recently watched How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. For some inane reason, it got me thinking about ways even a good salesperson can lose a boat sale. I call it, How to Lose a Sale in 10 Ways.

1. Focus on what you want to sell. It’s common for salespeople to have a models top of mind they want to move. You may find yourself automatically trying to steer a prospect to that boat. This can cause them to early out because they’re offended by the perception that you know what they should want.

2. Don’t take the time to ask questions. Do as much selling as you can, and don’t bring the prospect into the conversation very much. Always hurry to get to the question that will likely make most prospects uncomfortable: “Well, what do you think?”

3. Always overlook that buying is a process. Forget that it’s a marathon, not a sprint, and stay focused on closing the sale now. Ignore establishing yourself as a valuable consultant who wants to fully understand the prospect’s desired outcome for any purchase.

4. Never listen intently to what a prospect is saying. Instead, be laser-focused on whatever you’re going to impress him or her with next. And don’t be distracted; always bring the conversation back to your pitch. This way you can be certain you’ll miss the clues needed to help fit the prospect and boat together.

5. Never look for times to insert key words that can resonate. Avoid such words as “value,” “easy,” “uncomplicated,” “backup,” “warranty” and others that can ring positive and assuring in the mind of the prospect.

6. Push to speed up the close on any small sale. You want to spend the absolute minimum amount of time with any prospect that may buy that $1,000 aluminum utility. After all, your goal is to spend your valuable time selling the big fish, the latest center console. Small sales just aren’t worth much effort.

7. Never be prepared. Practicing the basics of a good sales presentation is for newbies, right? To be good at anything takes practice, so avoid spending time reviewing products details, applications, key words and presentations that could resonate.

8. Assume prospects can figure out your value to them. This is big. Don’t offer your general boating knowledge and, especially, your first-hand experience with which a prospect might identify. Forget your expertise and the importance of becoming their trusted consultant.

9. Don’t try to understand a prospect’s problem with buying. After all, taking time doing that will only take away from your pitch. And if prospects don’t buy after you’ve given them what you think is the right amount of your time, forget them and move on to the next person. Ignore that buying is a process, and don’t keep good records of any encounter that you could follow up on later. Don’t take time for clerical work – after all, you’re a salesperson.

10. Assume every prospect is looking for the lowest price. So when you’ve offered your best price and there’s no close, cut ’em loose. Never mind the idea of calling a couple of days later with news of a “manager approved” new price or a just announced “factory incentive.” That prospect has already taken up too much of your time.

There’s much more that can be added to this list, many more ways to lose a sale. Successful selling is a craft, and it takes practice — even a seasoned veteran needs practice — to both perfect it and continually refine it.

To that point, there’s an unforgettable quote from the legendary basketball coach who led his teams to 10 NCAA championships, UCLA’s John Wooden: “I can always find players who want to be champions, but I have trouble finding players who want to prepare to be champions.”