NFIB

How to Close Sales Successfully
04/ 02/ 2002


Some sales pitches start off with a bang but the process seems to last forever. It becomes impossible to get a "yes" or "no" out of your potential client -- they just string you along. Workshop contributor Janet Jai has some ideas to alleviate that problem.

The sale that seems about to happen, but that you can never close, is perhaps the most frustrating situation a business owner faces.

To lessen this frustration, I interviewed John Rosso, president of Peak Performance Management, who shared six ground rules for closing successfully.

1. Have the potential buyer agree in advance that a decision will be made at the end of your sales presentation, either "yes" or "no." This is the single most important factor in closing a sale.

2. Become comfortable with yeses and nos. Don't tolerate maybes. (I'll think it over. Call me next week.) Be nice about them, but don't allow them.

3. Find out the compelling personal, emotional reason why your buyer needs your product/service. Compelling emotional reasons are much deeper than needs. For example, a buyer may say that she needs to be sure you deliver on time. After asking many questions, you might learn that your delivery directly affects her company's product delivery and they've been having problems in that area and she's really afraid they're going to lose some customers.

It's only when you know these deeper problems and issues, that you can make a truly relevant presentation.

4. Determine whether your potential buyer is willing and able to invest in your product/service. Does she have the money? In the case of a service -- like executive coaching -- does she have the time? (However, don't be too ready to believe that the real answer to these questions is no.) Is she so committed to her current supplier that nothing you offer will make any difference?

5. Make sure you fully understand the decision process. When is the decision going to be made? How is it going to be made? Who is going to make it? What are the criteria for the decision? Who else are they looking at?

6. Do all of the above BEFORE you make your presentation. You'll feel a lot of pressure from potential buyers to make your sales presentation (i.e., tell them everything you know about your product and how it will benefit them) very early in the selling process. That's because they know that what you know is valuable.

Resisting this pressure and doing all of the above first prevents you from wasting your time making a presentation to someone who can't or won't buy. It also maintains your self-respect and builds your customer's respect for you as a professional whose knowledge and experience should be paid for. You are worth it!

workshop.marketing.mon
4.6.1998

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