How to really close a sale is about getting the prospect to take action now. This requires them to give you a yes commitment and agreeing to sign any necessary paperwork. Some salespeople find closing a sale to be stressful, however with the right skill, mindset, and techniques it does not need to be. TO CLOSE A SALE, YOU NEED TO DEFINE THE NEED Defining the need Closing a sale with a prospect is a lot easier when you both take a learning pathway to understand the exact problem, situation, and expectations. The more information you can uncover, the better. The prospect has to come to see your solution as the fix to their problem and then take the steps to get the benefits they envision. On an emotional level if you are able to make them feel that they need it, you are closing the gap between where they are now and the future. Your role as salesperson is to get acceptance that what you are proposing has more value than the cost of other alternatives. To really close a sale, it is important to use open questions during need definition so you can figure out the real answers. The questions that a prospect can answer with ‘yes’ or ‘no’ should be avoided in this stage. With these kind of questions there is a danger of leading a prospect in the wrong direction. Therefore, you will not have correct information. Good question words in this phase are the likes of ‘why’, ‘when’, ‘how often’, ‘who’, ‘how’. What is also useful is to know the current situation of the prospect when it comes similar products that he already possesses. This is backed up by research into “need analysis approach” which suggests that early in the sales process you should focus on asking open questions and listening. There are 5 key issues to consider when preparing for the final sales negotiation: 1. What outcome does the prospect want to achieve? 2. What information will influence the outcome of the negotiation? 3. What concessions have I got to trade with. What is the cost and value of each concession? 4. What is my plan of action? 5. What tasks will you and other members of your team be responsible for in the negotiation? Closing the sale You can do everything right in the sales process and can still fail if you do not have the skill, courage, or knowhow on how to close a deal. Closing a sale is one of the most feared moves especially for a new salesperson when dealing with a prospect. One of the reasons is that we tend to have a fear of rejection. You must understand is that hearing ’no’ is part of selling’. However, what needs to be understood is that prospects are smart enough to know that you are trying to sell, and closing is part of the process. It is even considered strange if you do not try to secure a deal with some sort of closing technique. Any sale can fail if you do not match the prospects problem or situation with a credible solution where the future state is a better one than where they are now. It is rare for a prospect to make the suggestion to finish a deal. It is worth noting that closing is a continuous process throughout the sale, and you must be prepared to try and close a deal more than once, most preferably several times. The first closing attempt activates both you and the prospect to negotiation mode. If the prospect has agreed that a need really exists, their guard is lower, and this is a perfect time to secure strong commitments towards buying your solution. Naturally prospects have a high sales resistance in the beginning of any sales process. However, when doing your job well by defining needs and building trust, when you move over towards the closing phase the resistance is lower. That being said, closing can be done at any point during the sales process. However, you should always observe when the interest of the prospect is high. This changes during the sales process. If a prospect hears about a key benefit to them, their intention to purchase rises. In these moments you are likely to spot buying signals. Early in the sales process it is essential to activate the customer’s purchase senses with soft closing efforts such as budget, need, authority to act and timing. To really close a sale requires you to build trust, credibility, provide proof and that your solution is believable. Hit these markers and the price becomes more and more irrelevant. Therefore, in certain sales situations it is possible to close a deal without agreeing on the price yet. An example of moving to closing after proving the need: You: As you mentioned before, you are cleaning your house five times a week since you do not like living in a dusty house and there is an allergy in your family. Now that you have seen what this cleaning device can do for you, it can remove all dust and allergies, do you agree? Prospect: I agree. You: Ok, here is what I suggest we do… (moving on to one of the closing techniques) The good news is that closing a sale is natural if a prospect is convinced that it solves their problem, and they have a vision of what they will gain from buying it. Your role is to guide the prospect on a learning pathway where all options are discussed and a clear path to purchase has been outlined. If there is an objection, the prospect will tell you after you try to close the deal. Objections are an opportunity to move the sale forward if handled correctly. Free Sales Training Videos Techniques To Close A Sale. 1. Give the prospect two options – each directed towards a deal. This technique provides a smart way towards closing. You give the prospect twoHow to really close a sale