In sales, the big things are important, but ignoring the little things can be the threads that begin to unravel your Red Jacket making you more like all those gray jackets in the marketplace. Yes, earning that sale is a big accomplishment, however knowing and correcting the little things happening within the business or organization will contribute more to that next sale. Here are some specific examples in how those little things affect your ability to increase sales.

Employees' Professionalism

With everyone feeling and believing that they are entitled to express themselves by their personal behaviors, internal customers (employees) can impede future revenue. For example, you go into your favorite coffee shop and are served by a pleasantly dress associate who is chewing gum. You can see her gum as she moves it around in her mouth. Since she is serving food, you question whether you should come back.

Another example is body piercing excluding the ears This can be a little thing, yet around food, many external customers prefer not to be served by persons with rings hanging out of their eyebrows, noses or lips.

Overall dress and hygiene again are little things. When internal customers are dressed with unkempt clothes and appear not to have bathed within the last 48 hours, this may discourage paying clients from returning.

Telephone voice and manners are another aspect of employees' professionalism. Who wants to hear an automated voice or someone who is crabby and unfriendly?

Organizations' Professionalism

Many times the existing policies and procedures within an organization forget the little things or what could be called the "human touch." In the quest to improve efficiency, reduce costs, many times the little things are sacrificed.

Salesperson's Professionalism

Since these are the folks on the front line, they have the ability to do the little things such as sending notes of gratitude to articles of interest. Selling is truly about the establishment of relationships. As President Theodore Roosevelt said: Nobody cares how much you know, until they know how much you care.

Invest some time to identify the small actions that can yield incredible results. Since sales is a transference of feelings (Zig Ziglar), then focus on the creation of authentic feelings through those small little things that people remember.

Chicago Sales Coach Leanne Hoagland Smith helps with sales skills to management development.

Read about Leanne's new book on sales coaching Be the Red Jacket in the Sea of Gray Suits, the Keys to Unlocking Sales Success.