5 Keys to closing a sale

This morning I remembered an encounter I had a few years ago. I walked into a shop in my locale and there was a lady, let's call her Joyce, seated on the bench outside drinking a packet of milk. I always wondered how people just drank milk from the packet but that day I understood. I watched that simple act refresh her. It was like watching a balloon being filled with air; her shoulders rose, her posture changed and her seemed to calm down. Mmmmh, I thought…that is interesting. When I saw merchandise beside her I realised she was a travelling salesperson also known as a hawker.

Joyce caught me watching her and quickly moved into sales mode hoping to make a solid sale. I watched her look me over and noticed a smidgen of sadness that I couldn’t understand. She started a general conversation and we chatted about the economy, business and the price of her goods. I was absolutely fascinated at how well she knew her product. It was evident that she enjoyed picking the product and it was her livelihood, the way she fed her family and currently the best option for her at th moment. Eventually she asked my size and then I understood the slight sadness I had seen earlier. She was out of merchandise my size.

We laughed about how certain sizes aren’t easily available because they run out quite quickly so if one didn't meet when the stock was new, you could miss out. We chatted a little and just as she was about to leave, she said "Wait!" and started flipping through her merchandise frantically. Suddenly she looked up with a big smile as she pulled out a grey piece that was almost new, from a name brand firm and the perfect size. I was caught and had to buy the piece so I paid for it and we parted ways.

The assumption would be that I bought the piece because she had my size, right? Not in this case. I bought the piece for different reasons. In reality, I bought because of the salesperson. Let me clarify...she taught me five keys to closing a sale.

Know your market: Being a women, Joyce understood that women like to look good and feel good and good innerwear is a great starting line. She knew that challenges of finding quality comfortable innerwear and was out to mitigate the need for other women. She knew her market firsthand

Have a great product: As she was looking through her merchandise, Joyce was checking the labels to see the sizes and I noticed that she only carried gently used name brand pieces. It became evident that she took time to select the right quality product and prepare it well for her customers.

Focus on your customer: I said earlier that I could tell by how she looked at me that she was mentally assessing me and her stock list to see if she had something I could buy. It is an interesting skill that I have often seen with business people. The sudden dive into the merchandise when she realised she may have something and the confidence of her posture.

Be pleasant: Even though she was tired, she smiled easily, spoke politely, was well dressed and though she must have been walking most of the day, her feet were still clean, she wasn’t dusty. Her warmth and gracious personality pulled you in as a customer.

Be driven: I saw this once we were done and about to part. She arranged her merchandise to carry easily and went on to find her next sale. The shop we were at was on the road and I got to watch her go shop to shop along the street trying to make sales and earn her income. I watched her smile with people and graciously walk down the street and I silently wished her well in her endeavours.

Do your best always: You that sense that someone is doing the best they can with what they have? She exhuded this and it drew me in. I thought about her children at home or her mother in the village waiting for money at the end of the month or her sister and brother. She put her best effort into every day to make a sale that will help her dreams.

We buy from people we like and trust.

Trust is not an instant commodity rather it is developed over time where time could be a long period in the case of lasting business relationships or by a quick assessment from the vibes a trader gives off. Joyce was easy to trust because her vibe was honest but there have been many instances where the trader has such a negative vibe that I walked away.

So, I ask myself today, when I talk about my business and present a product to a client or when I sit in a space in conversation with others and talk, can pitch in my ideas well and I bring enough confidence with me to draw others in and build enough trust so that they will buy from me more than once? Do i know my market and product so well that when I speak to people they will understand how it will solve their problem and give them ease?

I must admit that I am not always able to do that but I am working on it. I have taken lessons from Joyce that I am working to master by working with coaches and accountability partners to deal with the challenges I am finding in me. One of my greatest realisations as a business leader is that I must keep growing and building because when I stop, the life around me will also stop. So I am off to work on my skill and build trust with my clients.

What about you??