5 Tips To Closing More Sales More Quickly
Salespeople are often challenged by not closing the sale and not collecting leads. This challenge is compounded when store traffic is low. Small businesses are faced with high local competition, and increased internet sellers. When you do have a qualified buyer it is imperative you close the sale and do so quickly before you lose them. If you do not close them, at least collect their information so you can follow-up and close them later. These five tips will help you focus on efficiently qualifying the client and closing the sale.
Five tips to close more sales:
- Ask the right questions
- Listen with the intent to answer
- Deliver a passionate presentation
- Provide a compelling reason for them to buy today
- Ask for the sale
1. Ask the right questions: WHO will use your product or service? WHAT will your product do for your customer? WHAT does he really want (outcome of using your product). WHERE is your product to be used? WHEN does he need it? WHY does he want or need it? All of these are important questions and should be asked. Some of you are probably thinking “I know this”, yet we so often forget to ask. There is no way you can make a good recommendation if you do not have a complete understanding of your customer’s wants and needs.
2. Listen with the intent to answer: We are becoming conditioned to respond to our cell phones more than to people. This is a sad but true statement. When working with a customer, give them 100% of your focus and attention. Ignore the phone, noise and distractions. Listen to them like they are sharing the most important news you will ever hear. Listen with the intent to answer. If they bring up an objection or question, answer it directly and honestly.
3. Deliver a passionate demonstration: We have all suffered through a robotic or overly complicated demonstration and thought, I so want this to be over! The best sales people are those who care about the customer’s needs, know their product in and out and deliver an engaging demonstration. Get your customer to participate during your demo by asking questions as you go and by addressing their needs and wants. Pay close attention to their body language. Are they bored, confused, disconnected? If so, bring back the conversation to them and their needs and wants. Every customer wants to know “What’s in it for me?” So make sure you keep their needs at the center of your demonstration.
4. Provide a compelling reason to buy: Why should they buy today? Make sure you have a good offer or special you can give them. It can be as simple as a free accessory or a discount. It can be a finance option or lay-away offer. Just have something you can offer if they do not say “Yes” to your closing question.
5. Ask for the sale: Well no surprise here! Close and close again. From the very first question you ask them, you should be formulating the perfect offer for their needs and wants. If you pay close attention to what they are telling you and if you are reading their body language, you should be able to formulate a great offer with a closing question. My favorite closing question is “What do you think?” Asking this question throughout your conversation can give you small closes. Example: If you are selling patio furniture, you could ask what they think of this color? If they say they love it. That is a small close. Try to get small closes as you go. Doing so will make the final close the natural next step of your conversation. It requires confidence to close a sale. Place yourself in a state of mind that you have nothing to lose by asking and assume they will buy from you. This will give you confidence and they will fell it.
Putting it all together looks like this: Be prepared by knowing your product in and out, then get to know your customer’s needs and wants by asking the right questions and listening intently to their answers. Present your product in an interesting manner and ask closing questions throughout. Then ask for the sale at the end. Buyers are meant to BUY and sellers are meant to SELL, it is a match made in heaven!