How to close a sale

How to close a sale

• If you asked a hundred sales professionals for their best tips on closing a sale, you would get a hundred different responses. A sale is the result of the relationship and rapport that you have built with the customer.
• Closing techniques are as varied as the sales professionals employing them, there are some tried and true tips to effectively close a sale.

 

Earn the Right

 

• Before you can expect to close a sale, you must first earn the right to ask for the sale. Focus each call on how you can help the customer instead of what you can get from the customer, and you will eventually earn the right to ask for the sale.

 

Begin With the End in Mind

 

• Each step you take in a sales cycle should be leading you towards partnering with your customer. Without knowing where you are going, you may find yourself taking steps that lead you away from closing the sale. Keep focused on your purpose during each step in the sales process.

 

Sell More Value  

 

• In a price-sensitive market, the winner is the one who is able to show more value than the asked for price. Value is determined not by the market but by your customer. Show them that your product or service has more intrinsic value than the price, and the sale is yours.

Under Promise

 

A mistake that many beginner sales professionals make is to promise something that they cannot deliver.

Be Nice To Your Enemies

 

• You will have competition in every sale. Competition can come in the form of another company or from the potential of your customer making no decision. If you put down your competition, you immediately put the customer on the defensive. Doing so may cost you the sale.
• Instead, praise the competition where they are strong and point out where your company outshines everyone else.

 

Prepare and Plan

 

• If you’ve done your work and have built more perceived value than the price you are asking, it’s time for you to prepare and to plan for the close. Preparing includes gathering all the information, paperwork, forms, etc that the customer will need to move forward. Planning means to anticipate any last minute objections and how you will respond to them.