The powerful way to close a sale
By Publicity Heaven writer Adam Constable
Have you ever experienced this frustrating situation with your business?
You’ve had a good lead come in from an excellent prospect, researched the best solution for them, and put a proposal forward… only for everything to go quiet…
It happens to every business owner at some point. Perhaps you’re starting to wonder what it is about your sales pitch that just isn’t working.
Actually you might be getting 90 per cent of it right, but it could be that you’re just not asking for the sale. It’s one thing to suggest a solution, it’s another thing to outright ask them to buy it.
The good news is you don’t need to be as unsubtle as that. There are four steps you can follow to become much more effective at closing sales.
Be Prepared: It is important to find out everything you can about your prospective client. This will allow you to tailor your approach to suit them. People are more likely to buy from you if they feel you are looking at things from their point of view. Where you have gaps in your information, fill them by asking your prospect intelligent questions. Do they already source from someone else? What is their budget and how much do they usually spend? How often will they buy? Try to work out how desperate they are for what you sell, as it will give you a tool to help close the sale.
Give the prospect the solution they are looking for: Your prospect will be buying for one of two reasons – either to solve a problem, or to feel good. Most business purchases are to solve a problem; many consumer purchases are to feel good. Find out what they will use the product for, when they need it and the benefits they have already found from your competitors. From this information you can then offer a solution that exactly matches their needs. It’s very hard not to buy when the solution is staring you in the face. Present your product or service in way that the prospect can understand, avoiding technical jargon and in-depth information.
Know how to handle objections: Every sale will involve objections. “That’s too expensive” or “I can get more elsewhere”. Objections aren’t to be feared – they are opportunities to hammer home the benefits of what you sell. The answer to “you’re too expensive” is “yes we are because we offer the most comprehensive 24 hour support package on the market, at no extra cost”. Reassure the buyer that they are in safe hands. Redirect them back to the sale by talking about the options on offer, such as the different colours the product is available in. Psychologically this is important as it gets them picturing the product in their mind again (making them much more likely to want to acquire it).
Ask for the sale: Rather than bring the sale to a gradual close, finalise it. Timing is important. Ask the buyer “how many shall I put you down for?” rather than “how many would you like to buy”. Once the question has been asked, give the buyer the chance to say “yes”. You must then finalise the sale by confirming the details of delivery and payment. Don’t ever forget that a sale should be seen as the start of a long-term relationship with a new client, rather than a way to hit this month’s sales target.
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