In my last blog entitled: Close More Deals, I discussed the growing concern of business owners and sales people in closing the sale. I suggested anyone faced with this challenge ask themselves three questions:
1. What were their buying signals – the triggers that drove you to know how they would be making a decision?
2. What “call to action” do you ask of them before they leave or hang up the phone?
3. What is your follow up process?
I covered Question #1 in my July 9 blog. Today let me share my suggestions for the second question:
What “call to action” do you ask of them before they leave or hang up the phone?
At the end of every prospective sales meeting, you must give the buyer an assignment or call to action to keep them involved in the process. And, you must consider the buyer’s personality when doing so. Let me give you a few examples.
There are basically two types of buying styles: The kind that want to make a decision right away and move on; or, the individual that needs time to think about it. Let’s call them the Rabbit and the Turtle.
When dealing with the Rabbit, you need to be quick with your answers, stay on point, and ask for the sale. The Turtle, on the other hand, wants you to be thorough, allow for processing time, and not be rushed.
If I am with a Rabbit, I will try to close the deal right then by asking for it, assuming I got it, and moving to the next stage of the sale. If I were selling a product, I might say something like “Once I have your signature, I can go ahead and get all of the paperwork started, so won’t have to wait very long.”
Selling the same product to a Turtle, I would ask them if they would like time to read over the material before making a decision. In fact, I may even let them leave with it. Then I make sure I have their contact data and establish a time and date when I will be calling them to “answer any questions” they may have.
No matter what you sell: product or service, you must have some call to action to either close more deals or bring you closer to the sale.
In my next blog, I will cover #3: What is your follow up process?
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Friday, July 9, 2010
Close More Deals
Over the past few weeks, I have had more and more conversations about the difficulty in closing business. Sales people and business owners alike have expressed concern in the lack of interest their prospect has to do business with them. They tell me the buyer just isn’t buying, the competition is too strong or indecision is running rampant.
After carefully listening to their dilemma, I ask questions like these:
1. What were their buying signals – the triggers that drove you to know how they would be making a decision?
2. What “call to action” do you ask of them before they leave or hang up the phone?
3. What is your follow up process?
Their answers clearly defined why they weren’t closing more deals. If you are struggling with your response to those three questions and also experiencing the challenge of building your business, let me give you some suggestions.
1. What were their buying signals – the triggers that drove you to know how they would be making a decision?
My husband was recently looking for a car for my daughter. In talking with dealers, he stated early in the conversation that price was a main factor. After speaking with a handful of sales people (and I use that term very loosely), not one asked him how much was he planning on spending. Not one!
In turning an inquiry into dollars you must pay attention to hot buttons and sell to them. This does not require negotiation skills, or the art of persuasiveness…it requires just the opposite…the ability to listen and sell to what the prospect wants to hear – not what you want to say.
Too often the person selling spends more time talking than listening. Think about the last couple of deals you lost. If we were looking at a video of the conversation, what would we see? Would you be explaining the features, benefits and the reason to buy? Or, would we observe you leading the conversation through a series of questions that uncover what is important to the buyer; and, then watch you sell to those buying signals?
I will cover Question 2 in my next blog – stay tuned.
After carefully listening to their dilemma, I ask questions like these:
1. What were their buying signals – the triggers that drove you to know how they would be making a decision?
2. What “call to action” do you ask of them before they leave or hang up the phone?
3. What is your follow up process?
Their answers clearly defined why they weren’t closing more deals. If you are struggling with your response to those three questions and also experiencing the challenge of building your business, let me give you some suggestions.
1. What were their buying signals – the triggers that drove you to know how they would be making a decision?
My husband was recently looking for a car for my daughter. In talking with dealers, he stated early in the conversation that price was a main factor. After speaking with a handful of sales people (and I use that term very loosely), not one asked him how much was he planning on spending. Not one!
In turning an inquiry into dollars you must pay attention to hot buttons and sell to them. This does not require negotiation skills, or the art of persuasiveness…it requires just the opposite…the ability to listen and sell to what the prospect wants to hear – not what you want to say.
Too often the person selling spends more time talking than listening. Think about the last couple of deals you lost. If we were looking at a video of the conversation, what would we see? Would you be explaining the features, benefits and the reason to buy? Or, would we observe you leading the conversation through a series of questions that uncover what is important to the buyer; and, then watch you sell to those buying signals?
I will cover Question 2 in my next blog – stay tuned.
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