There’s no denying that sales have changed over the past decade. In today’s fast-paced, socially connected world, it’s harder than ever to attract and sustain somebody’s attention for a long period of time. Selling is also far more relationship based than it used to be. Today, if you haven’t taken an effort to get to know your client, and given them the opportunity to get to know you, the entire authenticity of the sale can become compromised…and that’s never fun!
However, what may be more interesting than what has changed, is what hasn’t. Have you ever wondered why some people can’t manage to close a single sale, yet other people have based their entire (successful!) careers on their ability to sell? Some may call it luck or coincidence, others may think it takes a certain personality to close sales.
The truth is, there’s one thing that hasn’t changed in sales, and that is the well-defined business habits that top sales performers have adopted, implemented and mastered to close their sales. The end goal is always more sales, in less time…now doesn’t that sound like music to your ears?!
Among those habits is the mastery of closing your sale every time! And BTW you should join us Tuesday Dec 10 for our free call on this subject.
While this mastery takes time, work and effort, ask yourself; are chart-topping sales important to you and your organization? If the answer is yes (which I bet it is!) then mastering this area, which have timeless, important and field-tested insights, will be well worth the time and energy and will serve to drastically improve your organizations sales.
Here are seven closing practices, designed to sell more in less time which you can implement immediately with your sales organization…I promise they’re really easy once you get the hang of it 🙂
1) Know your maximum and minimum and move forward.
You need to know in advance to the sales call the maximum you expect out of the call versus the minimum level of commitment you need to obtain from the client or prospective client to close the sale. If you aren’t able to close the sale on the spot know how you’ll move the sale forward and document those next steps with dates and times, mark these on your calendar.
2) Always start with a draft approach.
Never let the final proposal be the first proposal that your clients see. Prepare a draft approach and walk your client through it, point by point. Handle any objections here, don’t wait until later.
3) Know how decisions gets made.
Who decides what? How many steps are there before a final decision is made? These are crucial questions that if answered can get you talking to the right people, at the right time.
4) Step Back.
Step back and look objectively at every qualified lead, you need to make sure you asking the right qualification questions. You need to ensure that you are operating on facts, not feelings on what you believe to be true about the client and their needs.
5) Make persistence your eternal flame.
Many people get discouraged when they think the sale is lost. Sales that seem completely hopeless can be easily salvaged at any point. Very rarely will you lose a sale forever, being persistent is key to closing a sale. Sometimes persistence can be tiring, but I assure you, it’s worth it 🙂
6) Understand the why of no.
If you get a “no,” understand the meaning behind it. Asking probing questions to try and comprehend why there is resistance from your client.
7) Follow up rigorously.
Don’t just follow up when it feels right. Have a set schedule on when to follow up. Make it a schedule not a task or a chore, if you stick to it like clock-work, you will see the benefits of it in your sales!
Always remember that closing begins at the beginning of the sales conversation, not at the end, by then it’s often too late! If you build trust early on and follow the proven steps for sales success you’ll never have to resort to the tactics which often repel clients from doing business with you.
Have you taken the steps necessary for yourself or your organization to be successful at selling?
Dedicated to increasing your sales
Colleen
I like what you wrote – being persistent is key to closing a sale – Indeed with the advancement of technology and the various social medias, smartphones available, the attention span of a person is lesser than it use to be. Today with easy access to the internet and online, clients or customer will be able to find out before they buy. Hence it is important for us to build long lasting relationship. Not Hunting them but farming them.
Continue on the spirit of building relationship and adding value to people’s life, I am sure it helps break the barrier away and helps with closing the sale over.