Flagging landmines

In How you make the sale a flagging landmine is defined as a hidden piece of information that, when you stray across it, it carries the danger that it might blow your sale completely away. Generally applicable landmines include:

1. Previous bad experiences with the company you represent
2. Previous bad experiences with the product you represent
3. Previous bad experiences with you. You can't remember them all but people will remember you
4. Unarticulated loyalty to a competitors product
5. Commitment to buy from someone else (using you as a second bid)
6. Embarring fact (bad credit) that the customer does not want to reveal
7. Conflict between two parties at the buyingt side
8. Talking to customers far above or below their level of understanding.
   1. In the first case (above) you lose them
   2. In the second case (below) you irritate them
9. Addressing your sales pitch to the wrong person/group within the customer
10. Assuming you know what the customer drove to your product / market. Don't assume: ask!