The most common mistakes in a B2B sales process are not exotic: not being customer-centric, using consumer tactics, relying on one contact, leaving the next step undefined and basing decisions on gut feeling. The first list below comes from Agendor's guide Principais erros em vendas B2B; for each item we add what Y Combinator partners advise in their Startup School talks, so a founder with no sales team has something concrete to do.
Mistake 1: Not being customer-centric
Agendor says sellers often focus on the product instead of understanding the several decision-makers inside a client and their different needs. YC's Gustaf Alströmer, in How to talk to users, gives the interview rule: do not introduce your idea until the end, "your role in this interview is to listen, not to talk". The guide to discovery questions lists the questions he suggests, and a copilot that suggests the next question during the call helps you keep to them.
Mistake 2: Using consumer tactics in a B2B negotiation
Agendor warns that tactics like artificial urgency fail where a purchase needs long deliberation and approvals. The practical alternative in YC's sales playbook is to learn how the customer buys: Tom Blomfield suggests asking your champion to "describe the last time you bought software like this" and who inside had to approve it.
Mistake 3: Having a relationship with only one person
Agendor points out that if your single contact leaves, you lose your access to the other decision-makers. Blomfield's version of the fix is to treat the internal champion almost like a co-founder inside the customer, while mapping the economic buyer, the technical approver, the security gatekeeper, legal and the daily users in his Sales Playbook for Founders.
Mistake 4: Not defining the next step
Agendor says that without follow-up meetings or clear deadlines, momentum is lost in longer sales cycles. Blomfield is direct: "don't leave a meeting without the next touch point set up". After each call, a post-call report keeps the agreed next step in writing, and the follow-up guide covers how often to follow up.
Mistake 5: Basing your strategy on gut feeling
Agendor says decisions made without data or concrete customer insight weaken your strategy. Alströmer's founder-sized version, in How to get your first customers, is to track the conversion rate of each step of your funnel; otherwise, he says, founders conclude "sales is not working" after too few messages, when they simply do not have the data yet.
Sources: Agendor, Principais erros em vendas B2B; Tom Blomfield, The Sales Playbook For Founders (video); Gustaf Alströmer, How to talk to users (video) and How to get your first customers (video).
What is the most common mistake in B2B sales?
There is no single ranking. Agendor lists five frequent ones: not being customer-centric, using consumer techniques, depending on one contact, not defining the next step and relying on gut feeling.
How do I know whether the problem is my process or my lead volume?
Track conversion at each funnel step, as Alströmer advises. Without those numbers you cannot tell, and a low count of messages sent can look like "sales doesn't work".