How can you improve your negotiation and closing skills?

1 Prepare and research

Before you enter any negotiation or closing situation, you need to do your homework. This means gathering as much information as possible about the customer, their needs, preferences, budget, and pain points. It also means knowing your product, its features, benefits, and value proposition. You should also research the market, the competition, and the current trends. By preparing and researching, you will be able to anticipate the customer's objections, questions, and concerns, and have ready answers and solutions.

2 Build rapport and trust

Negotiation and closing are not just about numbers and facts. They are also about emotions and relationships. You need to establish rapport and trust with the customer, so that they feel comfortable and confident with you and your offer. You can build rapport and trust by using active listening, mirroring, empathy, and humor. You should also avoid being pushy, aggressive, or manipulative. Instead, focus on creating value, solving problems, and satisfying needs.

3 Use open-ended questions

One of the most effective ways to improve your negotiation and closing skills is to use open-ended questions. These are questions that require more than a yes or no answer, and that invite the customer to share their opinions, feelings, and motivations. Open-ended questions help you to uncover the customer's needs, wants, and expectations, as well as their objections and hesitations. They also help you to guide the conversation, steer the customer towards your desired outcome, and test their readiness to buy.

4 Handle objections and overcome resistance

No matter how well you prepare and research, build rapport and trust, and use open-ended questions, you will inevitably face some objections and resistance from the customer. This is normal and natural, and it does not mean that the deal is off. It means that the customer needs more information, reassurance, or incentive to make a decision. You should not ignore or dismiss the objections, but rather acknowledge and address them. You should also not argue or defend your position, but rather restate the benefits and value of your offer. You should also use techniques such as reframing, isolating, reversing, or trading to handle objections and overcome resistance.

5 Close with confidence and urgency

The final step to improve your negotiation and closing skills is to close with confidence and urgency. This means that you need to ask for the sale, clearly and directly, without hesitation or doubt. You need to show the customer that you believe in your offer and that you are ready to finalize the deal. You also need to create a sense of urgency, by highlighting the scarcity, exclusivity, or timeliness of your offer. You should also use trial closes, alternative closes, or assumptive closes to check the customer's readiness and commitment.

By following these tips and best practices, you can improve your negotiation and closing skills and increase your sales performance. Negotiation and closing are not innate talents, but learned skills that can be improved with practice, feedback, and continuous learning.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?