Boost Sales

Closing a sale is nothing more that leading the process to a conclusion. It's laying all the groundwork and asking the prospective customer to proceed with the action plan. The steps can vary, but in talking to hundreds of successful salespeople about the pitfalls of closing sales, some very specific disciplines are regularly mentioned:
' we don't ask,
' we're asking the wrong person, or
' the prospective customer is not yet sold.

Let's look at some strateg

Closing a sale is nothing more that leading the process to a conclusion. It’s laying all the groundwork and address the prospective customer to proceed with the electronic control plan. But if it sounds that easy, why is it so tough to accomplish?

NASCAR driver Kurt Busch says “what it takes to win a first place is to have your preparation meet the opportunities, whether it’s out on the racetrack or fanny the scenes.” In sales, winning starts at the beginning. Do the right things throughout the process and you’ll be turn the tide positioned for success. The steps can vary, but in talking to hundreds of successful salespeople in the vicinity the pitfalls of last round sales, some very specific disciplines are regularly mentioned:
• we don’t ask,
• we’re dispute the wrong person, or
• the prospective customer is not yet sold.

Let’s look at some strategies for each of them.

We may not ask as long as of the ‘feel good’ direction we’ve heard in recent years that “good sales men and women don’t lane the sale, they let it happen!” Make your presentation, stop talking, and the sale will brief itself! Unfortunately, that suggestion is like to telling a pilot not to worry hard by landing as long as the plane will get to the ground one way or another. Even the best businessperson can be indecisive. If I make a terrific presentation, then just wait for them to say “yes,” I’ll likely never hear it, and ultimately lose a once-promising sale. Why? as long as I haven’t asked them to make a decision. Plus, my lack of expedient could plant a subconscious seed of doubt in the prospect’s mind.

If I want to quail rejection, not examination for the performing is the way to go. Early in my sales career, a senior assistant told me to “go out and get as many ‘no’s as you can.” It didn’t sink in right away, but it wasn’t long in the lead I understood what he meant. Ask for the order often.

The second discipline is to make sure you’re suit the right person. Have you heard the phrase “don’t take ‘no’ from someone who can’t say ‘yes?” It’s great advice. Unfortunately, it doesn’t systematically fit real-life. Often, we find ourselves ‘boxed into’ a scenario where our primary contact is not a final decision-maker, and that’s the way the assembly works. The ‘buyer’ deals with suppliers, gathers information and prices, but the ultimate decision is made by ball or in savings account meetings.

One solution is to make connections at the top. Call the bring President first and set up a meeting. “An opportunity to work with your attendance is very important to us and I want to make sure I’ve got a complete understanding of your goals.” You can solve this problem with several strategies. The first is to start at the top. It’s very well astounding how easily executive doors open to outside salespeople who show a genuine interest in meeting them. Once the connection is made, continue to follow up with them. Thank you notes, even summaries of proposals, can be passed along, keeping that door open and keeping you top-of-mind.

In addition, give your direct contact everything they need to sell the proposal internally. A bedmate I consult for was considering new software packages. I sat in on the meeting where the IT manager tossed copies of three proposals on the table, challenge everyone to take a look and, in effect, fussy one. Effective questioning would have helped one of those vendors to see the IT manager didn’t want to decide alone, and could have offered to help that meeting and give the group an overview of their proposal. It’s a part of our job.

While most of this appears to authorize only to large companies with deep management structures, the same rules take on to small businesses, too, or even in-home selling, where the presence and attempt of a spouse will spell the difference mid abandonment the sale and crowning the door.

Finally, make sure that the prospect is convinced. This might have a ring of Sales 101, but is often the greatest roadblock we face! Our fast-paced transaction atmosphere forces us to conserve our time, and theirs, so it’s not unusual for a sales call to consist of a phone call, invitation to visit a web site and a price quote by email. I, myself, am a huge user of tech tools, and have to continually remind myself that efficiency in time is not efficiency in selling.

You can enhancement your closure ratio right away by address yourself these questions:

1) Does the customer have a provoking need, or are they just mildly interested?
I’ve universally been good at selling ‘meetings,’ convincing people to give me a piece of their time. I figured that we’d talk, they’d see the need to act, and I’d have a sale. I was wrong. When a prospect didn’t see me as a solution to something, my odds of making a sale were nil. And their fever heat needs aren’t without stopping obvious. A retailer might want to draw more store traffic but, if their deeper need is to position themselves bigger, discount retailers, they might see spending more money as throwing good money because of bad.

2) Is this a fast track decision, or future exploration?
You’ll want to know in proceed if they plan to make a decision soon, or are looking at pricing for future consideration. Sometimes we add a prospect to our ‘pending’ list without knowing that prospect’s timetable or intent.

3) What is their status with other suppliers?
Comfort levels make us do strange things. That agent might have a good relationship with someone else and, when the other supplier. The consumer is indicating yes to you, but finds it more reassuring to go with the other.

4) Have I presented my case based on their needs and goals?
One-size-fits-all presentations have far less effect than one that is tailored to the customer’s exact needs. For instance, if I sell numbering software and learn that the company’s office manager dislikes long learning curves that bog down productivity, my proposal will include a strategy for getting their staff trained and adjusted within a specified timeframe. That might not be a feature of the software, but my presentation will be more customer-centered, and that increases my probability of closing.

The final step in any sale, and the part that has really crop up a lost art, is indent for the sale. Sounds simple, and it is. demand for the sale can be in the form of a single question or statement, like “should we go forwards and get started?” or “Let’s get the paperwork done and we can start shipping next week.” The prescript worst thing that can happen is the prospect might not be ready, and will tell you why.

Closing is never a bad word in professional selling. Our job is to take the time to understand customer needs, demonstrate a sincere desire to be of service, and then confidently lead the sales process to a mutually-beneficial conclusion. That’s closing. It’s also where real customer relationship begin.

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