Unlike virtually every other facet of your business, the more effort you expend toward sales, the more you may find your numbers plummeting rather than rising.

What I mean is that incessantly pursuing leads, pounding your prospects with offers, and always trying to upsell your clients to bigger and better products and services can really backfire. We’ve all been on the receiving end of commission breath and man is it unpleasant. To me it’s a sure sign to run the other way.

Here are some tips for avoiding this trap and mastering the sly art of sales: