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Close
the Sale, Not the Door!
Master the science of good closing
The
Close doesn’t have to be a big event that’s
intimidating or uncomfortable for the prospect and
the sales person. It shouldn’t be treated as a
major occasion that you approach after overcoming
painful hurdles and then confront the prospect in
an adversarial way. The Close is actually the
opening of a new relationship and should be
approached in a natural and positive style. If
handled properly it is a pretty easy and simple
step in your sales process.
Interestingly enough, statistics show that most
sales people don’t attempt to close a sale. In
fact, a whopping 62% of sales people never go for
the close. That’s incredible since you spend all
that time qualifying the prospect, talking,
listening, explaining, demonstrating, and whatever
else you need to do to get to this stage of the
sales process. And then you don’t close the sale.
If you weren’t going to close, why did you spend
all that time to begin with? Well, there are
several reasons why this occurs, and all of them
can be overcome. It’s all a matter of having the
proper sales process, and learning and executing
the right skills at the right time to be most
effective and successful.
Several reasons why sales people don’t close
include:
· Too shy or timid to ask for the order.
· Unsure who to ask.
· Unsure when to close.
· Fear that the product won’t fit the prospect’s
needs
· Forget to ask for the close
· Afraid of rejection
Obviously, none of these reasons are excusable
when trying to succeed in sales. In order to learn
the proper closing techniques you cannot let these
reasons get in your way. You need to overcome
these problems if, in fact, you suffer from any of
them. You also need to approach the close in a
very positive way. For instance, when you are
closing you don’t want to manipulate or disrespect
the prospect. You have to approach this in a
win-win scenario so that the results for both you
and your prospect are positive.
You should also be sure to use words that promote
a more positive feeling, instead of those that are
considered negative words. For instance, try
changing the phrase, “If this purchase occurs…” to
“When this purchase occurs…” This makes a positive
assumption that is based on what previously lead
to this point, which is the dialogue you’ve been
sharing with the prospect and the solutions you
presented that matched their requirements. You can
even take this statement one step further by
saying, “When you make this investment” instead of
using the word “purchase”. Investment is a
benefits-oriented word, where purchase, sale and
cost are words that can be viewed as being
negative.
If you are explaining that there is an impending
price increase, don’t say, “You need to make this
purchase before the price increases…” This has a
threatening and negative sound. Instead try, “We
need to get this investment made before the price
increases” or, “Let’s get this investment made
before there’s an increase”. Saying “We” or
“Let’s” positions you as a partner in the sale.
The word “investment” is better and more positive
than “price.” Whenever possible leave off the word
“price”, which is another negative word. Simply
end the sentence by saying there is an increase.
Price is assumed.
These are all subtle touches, but when you combine
them in your approach to closing, they add up to
make a big difference. Avoiding words that are
negative or cause stress, such as price, cost,
today, now, and other such threatening words, is a
good habit to get into. Also avoid using “Me” and
“I” whenever possible and replace them with “You”,
“We” and “Us”.
You also have to consider buying signs. When
you’re getting ready to close, paying close
attention to the prospect’s buying signs will help
you determine if the time is right or if more
preparatory work needs to be done before
attempting to close. There are two types of buying
signs -- Direct (or Verbal) and Indirect (or
non-Verbal). Let’s first look at Direct signs.
When a prospect asks questions about the product,
delivery choices, billing options, or any question
that indicates they are envisioning the purchase,
use or application of your product, then that’s a
very positive buying sign. For instance, if they
ask “How much is it if we buy in quantity?” or
“What are your payment terms?” they are probably
interested in purchasing.
Indirect buying signs are a little harder to
recognize, but just as important as Direct signs.
With Indirect signs you have to pay attention to
the person’s behavior and mannerisms. For
instance, if they do things such as make close
inspection of your proposal or re-examine the
product features you already demonstrated, then
that shows an interest in purchasing your product.
Pay attention to non-verbal queues from your
prospects to pick up on any indication that they
are getting ready to purchase. With buying signs
it’s all a matter of reading the signals.
Even Silence can be a positive buying sign. They
could be thinking, considering the investment or
the impact it will have on their business, or even
discussing it amongst themselves. Whether the
silence is in your face-to-face meeting or from
them not returning your calls, it could mean they
are seriously considering your offer and aren’t
ready to respond or answer yet. Part of good
listening is recognizing these subtle yet
important buying signs, whether Direct or
Indirect. Practice listening and looking for these
signs, as they will help you with the close.
When you are ready to close and you’ve
successfully performed the prior steps in the
sales process, chosen the right words to use, and
picked up on your prospect’s buying signs, then
you simply need a good closing statement. Here’s
one that might be useful:
“Mr. Customer, our system fulfills all the needs
you have listed. It contains all the functions you
requested. It meets your budgetary needs and it
has the needed expansion capability you require.
It appears that it all adds up to satisfy every
need that you have listed.”
…and then be Quiet! You see, you have to give the
prospect time to process what you just said. You
can’t keep talking or interrupt their thought
process. This is a very challenging thing for many
sales professionals to do – to be quite for what
could be a full minute or more. You may feel
compelled to speak and fill the silence. And when
you do, you will usually say something
inappropriate or wrong, such as, “I can even throw
in a 10% discount!” You’ll end up negotiating
against yourself and give away things you don’t
need to because you are nervous about this gap of
silence. But you don’t need to be nervous or
uncomfortable. Just be quite and wait for the
prospect to respond. If they disagree with
anything in this closing statement, then get
clarification, get agreement, and then close
again. You can repeat this process several times.
When you get a positive response such as, “Yes, I
agree!”, then say, “Good! I can have the paperwork
ready in a moment so we can start the process. How
does that sound?” See, very positive, up-beat and
simple. Remember that if you learned everything
you can about their needs and requirements from
your earlier qualification phase by asking
questions and listening, and you established your
credibility, and you positioned yourself as a
value-added partner to your prospect, then the
close becomes a natural progression to this well
executed process.
Always remember these points about closing:
· Don’t forget to ask for the close. But make sure
it’s the right time.
·
Don’t take no personally, since they aren’t
rejecting you. They’re rejecting your product or
company or offer. Get rid of those rejections and
you’ll get rid of the No’s.
·
Don’t give up after the first several No’s. Keep
trying. Clear up any misunderstandings or
uncertainties, and keep asking for their business.
·
Don’t forget that the first objection is usually
NOT the REAL objection. So don’t treat it too
seriously. Get to the root of their real objection
or concern.
·
Don’t use words like Now, Today, or Right Away
because they apply pressure which turns people
away.
·
Avoid words like Sign, Cost and Price since they
are considered negative words as well. Try saying
“Autograph this” instead of “Sign this” and
“Investment” instead of “Cost” or “Price”.
·
Always make the close a win-win arrangement. If
someone loses in the deal, then someone won’t be
satisfied and there won’t be a long-term
relationship.
These techniques may take you some time to get
right, so you’ll have to practice them and refine
the approach that you are most comfortable with.
But don’t forget to use them and keep trying
different versions that works best for you. You
should never be reluctant to close as long as
you’ve done the proper steps in the process that
lead up to the close. After all, you’re helping
your customer make a decision and assisting them
in fulfilling a need or want that they told you
they have when you qualified them.
The close should come naturally and result in a
positive successful relationship between you and
your client.
Good
luck and good selling!
Russ
Lombardo
PEAK
Sales Consulting
russ@peaksalesconsulting.com
(702)
655-5652
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