Top Tips on How to Close a Sale

We are often asked for courses on "Closing the Sale" and I always reply: Closing the sale is not a skill that can be learned in isolation from the rest of the sales process. Closing is one element in a chain of events that begins with the sales person planning and preparing for the call / meeting effectively. During the sales meeting various stages occur, which if done correctly lead to successful closing of the sale.

What should happen, in a simple format it:

·        Opens the meeting by building rapport and agreeing the agenda

·        Asks questions that help identify the buyers' needs / issues

·        Presents the features and benefits of products that satisfy those needs

·        Overcome any objections or negotiate if needed

·        Closes the sale by gaining the agreement of the buyer to make the purchase

 This is a very simplified summary of a complex process that requires a high degree of skill on the part of the salesperson. However, what most salespeople fail to realise is that closing is more about timing and getting all the other stages right, rather than fancy techniques.

 Many salespeople are looking for a closing technique that will make the decision making process easier and take away some of the pressure felt by both buyer and seller at that moment of truth.

 The problem is that at this point the salesperson is worried about getting rejected and the buyer is worried about making a mistake, so it is all too easy for either, or both sides to delay the buying decision, rather than risking rejection, or taking the wrong decision.

 It is up to us as salespeople to have the confidence, at the right time, to ask for commitment and risk rejection. That is our role and unfortunately, 7 times out of 10 we fail to ask for some kind of commitment and this can lose us the sale we have been working so hard to achieve

5 top Tips to remember when closing the sale are: -

1. Closing the Sale is an integral part of the sales process

This means that closing techniques in themselves are not enough to ensure success, if the other parts of the sales process have been neglected. Before a buyer will place an order with you, he or she will have to see a need for your product / service and be convinced that your particular product / service represents the best solution to the problem represented by that need.

2. No salesperson ever closed every sale

Everyone who has ever sold professionally has had to get used to living with rejection. A good salesperson will always be rejected more times than he or she is successful. In fact if this is not the case the salesperson probably isn't trying hard enough. The secret is to `learn to live with rejection'. Every time you fail, you move closer to the time you will succeed.

3. The right time to close is when the customer is ready to buy

This is so important. Closing tends to happen towards the end of the sales meeting but don't assume this will always be the case. If the customer wants to buy early into your sales meeting then you should get commitment straight away. There may be more information you need to give later, however, having gained commitment the customer will be more relaxed and less likely to raise objections at a later stage.

4. Buyer resistance is natural and should be expected

During the sales process the buyer is under as much pressure as the salesperson. The buyer is often thinking about the consequences of agreeing to your proposal. The buyer may be thinking:

Does this represent value for money?

What will my partner think?

Are they as reliable as she says they are?

He says they can achieve significant growth. Is that true?

Is her product better than her competitor?

Can I afford the monthly payments? 

Often when the buyer hesitates during the closing stages, or objects he or she is seeking reassurance from the salesperson in a consultative, non-threatening way, that the decision that is about to be made, is a good decision. Objections are good they are a sign of interest!

5. Buyers seldom ask you for the order

Most buyers rely on the salesperson to make the buying process easy for them. However, they rarely ask for the order outright so the most effective and most obvious closing technique, having gone through the several stages of the call, is to ask the buyer if he or she wishes to place an order.

By this stage, if you have carried out the other stages of the call, it is likely the customer will be ready to buy, but more importantly, you have earned the right to ask for the order.

It is a fact, however, that around 70% of sales calls end with the salesperson failing to ask for the order. This is due to the salesperson's fear of rejection.