5 Steps To Closing A Sale Over The Phone Like A Pro (Even If You`re New To Sales)
Pedro Campos
Senior Paid Media Buyer ? Performance Marketing Manager ? Growth Marketer ? Customer Acquisition Specialist
Come on, admit it…
How many sales have you lost by not following a sequence?
It can happen quite frequently when you`re jumping around without having a structure to follow. A plan, so to speak.
In a few seconds, I`ll help you understand the steps to closing a sale over the phone without jumping from one thing to the other and the formula to making closing calls within your control like never before.
This structure will help you close more sales and prevent you from looking like every other salesperson out there.
You`ll begin to feel more confident and ultimately start putting some more cash in your pocket.
If I can only help you close one extra sale a day by sharing this with you, I`m a happy guy!
If you want to close more sales you must help the prospect create a burning desire for the outcome.
So let me show you what a good call structure looks like and some great closing questions you can ask to help you get through it.
Step 1 – Set The Expectations
You see this with world-class speakers before starting their talk. They set up the expectations for what they`re gonna talk about.
People like certainty.
They like to be lead and know what is the topic of the conversation.
That`s exactly what you need to do in the early stages of the call.
Letting the prospect know you want to get to know them better so both of you can make an informed decision on whether or not your solution is the right fit for them.
Setting the expectations will make you the authority, the leader, the expert on that call.
Example 1
At the beginning of the call, you can say something like this…
“So, Mr. Prospect, what I would like to do is ask you a couple of questions, get to know you and your business a little bit better so we can both make an informed decision, at the end, on whether or not this program is the right fit, how does that sound?”
Right there, you have established yourself as the authority and most importantly, you said you were gonna ask questions.
They know what to expect, now.
It`s better to say this up front than starting to ask questions and have the prospect tell you “why are you asking me so many questions?”
If this happens, it`s a little bit trickier to turn the tables around.
Forget about your commission and focus on helping the prospect.
Step 2 – Qualify The Prospect
Or even better… disqualify them and get off the phone.
How many times have you closed a sale and the next day you get an email saying that something came up?
You know those emails. Nasty!
The harder you qualify the prospect the easier it is for you to close the sale. If they`re not a good a fit, that`s ok!
Plenty of people you can serve out there.
The last thing you want is to waste your time with people that are never gonna buy from you or act like victims.
I`ve been there… learned it the hard way!
(RELATED: 3 Mental Blocks Preventing You From Closing Sales)
Example 2
At this point, all you`re trying to do is find out what`s going on in their world. These questions will help you get clarity on it…
- “John, I`m just curious, what was the motivation to jump on the call?”
- “Help me out here… how many employees do you have on the sales floor?”
- “So, what were you doing before starting your business?”
- “Have you been taking any supplements lately?”
Get to the truth, here!
Prospects usually lie and sometimes, you`ve got to ask multiple questions to get to the core of the problem.
Don`t be afraid to ask and get as much info as you can.
Step 3 – Build The Vision For Them
Assuming they`re a good fit, it`s your job as a closer, as a salesperson to create a burning desire for the outcome and help them imagine their future after using your solution.
They can get pretty emotional here, especially if you`re on the phone closing a B2C offer, a business opportunity or coaching program.
You have to get them excited before moving into the next step.
Emotional intelligence from your part is mandatory here.
Example 3
Now, you`re taking the data that you collected on the discovery stage and connect the dots between their pains and desires.
A few simple questions will do the trick…
- “So, Mary, I mean… how important is it for you to fix this situation?”
- “You told me you wanted to be making $10 000 a month in 6 months from now, I`m just curious, what would you do with the extra cash?”
- “Suppose we could help you with your nutrition plan so you can start losing a few extra pounds, how would you feel?”
Pay attention to your tonality at this point.
They`re already in an emotional state, your questions should be asked with finesse and in an empathetic tone.
Be careful, you could screw up the whole call, with the wrong tonality.
Stop closing from your head and start connecting from your heart!
Step 4 – Talk About Your Solution
At this point, you want to mention the price of your offer and see what options may fit within the needs of your prospect.
You want to know if your price is within their budget, as well.
Don`t ramble about how good your service is or how long you`ve been around.
They don`t care… you know that!
Summarize your offer and the outcomes it provides to your prospect and communicate that in a succinct way.
Example 4
This is the time to talk about money and the outcomes your offer provides.
Not features and benefits, the outcome that`s relevant to the prospect. Here`s an example…
“Let`s say we could help you improve your Facebook ads` ROI from 5 to 9%, do you have a budget set aside in order to get this kind of return?”
“John, $40 000 is a lot of money, how do you feel about that?”
“Would you be comfortable spending an extra $20 000 so we can show you how to increase your revenue by 20% next year?”
Especially if you`re on what the coaching industry describes as a discovery session, be aware that you`ll probably face some sort of resistance here.
Prospects come into theses calls lukewarm and sometimes not even knowing they need your services.
Be prepared to handle any kind of objections.
Step 5 – Get A Commitment
Please don`t get off the phone without a commitment. So many salespeople let the prospects get away with excuses.
Do you know why?
Because they`re too scared to get the prospect to commit.
And here`s the deeper reason…
… because you, as a human being, you never commit to anything.
At this point, you have to be absolutely certain about the results you can offer to them and how you can change their lives or businesses for the better.
Example 5
You don`t need to memorize 68 lines to close a sale over the phone. All you need is this one…
“So John, where should we go from here?”
That`s it!
It`s a great question because the prospect is the one making the decision.
He was not forced. He was simply lead.
Closing sales is a fun game... you either win or you get a lesson.
Closing The Sale Is Not About You
Start the call by setting the expectations, understanding their motivations and leading them to the qualifying step.
Ask good questions and see if they`re a good fit or not. If not, move on!
Help the prospect imagine their life after having your product and tie that vision to your solution.
To close the sale you must get a commitment from them, even if it`s just a small deposit.
Stopping thinking about the sale and start focusing on helping the prospect.
His life doesn`t change unless you get out of your own head and use your heart.
Now that you know this, it`s up to you.
Go out there, implement this stuff.
What part of the call are you gonna start to work on, first?
Let me know in the comments below.