Closing the Sale- Timing is Crucial
Waiting until the end of the sales process before closing a sale
is akin to waiting until the last ten minutes of a flight to
Venus before making course corrections. In both cases, there is
a very low probability of success.
It is of little value to wait until after presenting your
product or service to begin applying "closing techniques". You
must create a sound foundation for the sale throughout the sales
process. Without that foundation, salespeople feel pressured and
trigger prospects' natural resistance: The probable outcome is
lost opportunities and lack of sales.
Top salespeople, the Top 1%, close at the beginning of the sale,
and many times throughout the sales process:
* They spend most of their time with people able, willing, and
ready to buy - these are High Probability Prospects. * They only
do business with prospects they respect, and who, in turn,
respect them: These are genuine business relationships, with
both parties mutually agreeing to move forward each step of the
sales process. * This Mutual Respect results in Total Disclosure
of the prospect's needs, wants and buying intentions- as well as
Total Disclosure of the product's/service's benefits and
limitations. * Mutual Agreements and Mutual Commitments happen
early, and often, throughout the sales process. * These mutual
agreements lead to Closed Sales: the 'Closing' is the sum total
of the entire series of agreements. Closing must begin at the
initial stages of the sales process.
During the sales process, almost any point of discussion
provides an opportunity for a commitment. It's as simple as
asking:
* "This system will produce at least 20% more sales by
salespeople that utilize it. Is that what you want?" * "Is it
profitable to spend between approximately $3500 per salesperson
to achieve that magnitude of result?" * "The system requires
that your salespeople learn a new sales process. Is that
acceptable?"
Each 'Yes' to questions like these is a commitment, and
integrates 'Closing' throughout the Sales Process. Depending on
your products and services, closing should occur between 25 and
45 times before consummating the sale.
If this sounds simple, it is. If it sounds easy, it is not. It
requires preparation, so that every point of discussion is
followed by a simple request for commitment or acceptance. It
also requires a thorough understanding of a sales process that
appeals to the way the human mind works.
By the end of the sales process, most prospects will have agreed
that every one of your product's features is acceptable, and
they also will have acknowledged your product's benefits to
them. At that point, it is an easy, natural transition to ask
the prospect what s/he wants to do to acquire your product or
service. In most cases, the prospects will create the consum-
mation of the sale. That is, they will design the final close
for the salesperson's approval.
If this were a sales discussion, rather than an educational
monologue, I would have asked for a commitment - a closing
question - on each point. Go back through this article and see
how many closing opportunities you can find.
Copyright High Probability Selling 2006