Here’s a scenario most sales reps are familiar with: You’ve taken all the steps to qualify the prospect. You’ve strived to offer a steady drip of useful content to that lead. You’ve had meetings, phone calls attempting to close a deal for months. And then … NOTHING. Your lead goes cold.

What happened? It seemed like things were rolling along smoothly and then the customer goes radio silent, pulls back their interest, or goes with a competitor. Not only is this scenario frustrating to a rep, it’s a waste of time, time that could have been spent looking for other warm leads.

Just like a coach who recently lost a game, it’s good practice for every sales rep to review their (mis) steps to figure out what not to do next time. Recently, we tapped into our network of sales experts, who dished tons of great advice on how to close the deal. Some of those same experts offered up some of the most common “sales fails” — all the things that reps say or do (or don’t do) that can cost them the sale.

We took their insights and pulled them into this fun interactive experience for you to explore. Here’s a quick look at some of the sales fails we featured:

Mistake #1: You don’t know your buyer

Trying to sell to people who don’t fit your ideal customer profile is an exercise in frustration—and futility. If your industry, product or service isn’t right for the person you’re targeting, they’ll only get annoyed that you didn’t do your homework, and you’ll have wasted your time. Instead, identify your target clients before you email or pick up the phone. Want to know how to align what you’re selling to the right buyer? We’ve got you covered.

Mistake #2: Winging It

Only Don Draper can walk into a meeting and dazzle his clients on the fly with a brilliant pitch and lock down a deal in less than an hour. The rest of us have to prepare for sales calls and meeting pitches, that goes for both novices and veterans. Instead of winging it, take the time to think strategically about the contact and what the desired outcome should be for both you and your prospect. Click through to find out how else you can prepare.

Mistake #3: Not Going Digital

Today’s customers have done their homework long before they’re ready to buy. Research from Google and Corporate Executive Board shows that buyers don’t contact suppliers until 57% of the buyer journey is done. That means that they’re already defining their problems, forming opinions and researching products on their own without the help of your sales team. It’s not enough to have product-based marketing that emphasizes features and benefits. You need to also be on social platforms where customers hang out (LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter) and your website’s content needs to address how you’re going to solve their problems in a relatable way.

Want to see more of the most common sales mistakes and how to overcome them? Click here.