There is an interesting situation with closing. Whenever I
conduct seminars, salespeople cannot wait to hear about
closing. They want the "secret words" that will make their
customers buy. Oddly, many salespeople are interested in
closing but ignore it in their careers. Studies show that
only 15% of sales situations actually end in a close. The
vast majority of sales opportunities end with the
salesperson giving and education to the customer and not
asking for or getting a sale. This article is designed to
end the wasted opportunities, end the rejection and reveal
a simple but very effective way to close automatically
every time.
Why Some Fail To Close - If a large percentage of
salespeople fail to close regularly, there must be reasons
for this. We need to examine these reasons and how to get
past them as a first step in helping you close and earn
more.
Fear Of Rejection - Deep down inside, we all fear
rejection. In fact, we seem to fear it so much that we
will jeopardize our income and success just to avoid
rejection. To overcome this fear, you need to take a few
steps which we will outline here:
Making Closing A Habit - You either have a habit of closing
or you have a habit of ending sales situations without
closing. WE salespeople are the ones who stop many sales
from happening. After you present, do you ever find
yourself stapling your card to a brochure or writing a
price on something and sending the customer away? Do you
ever find yourself setting up the time for your next
meeting or phone call instead of asking the customer to
buy? To be a good closer, you need to make a commitment to
close and to use the technique we reveal in this chapter to
get in the habit of closing. The fact is that great
salespeople attempt to close far more than poor
salespeople. Just trying to close at every opportunity will
make you a bigger success in sales. Set A Reasonable
Closing Goal & Monitor It - I am always amazed that many
salespeople do not have a goal for closing and do not know
their closing rate. Many salespeople know more about their
golf game or baseball than they know about their sales
skills. To be a success at closing, you need to have a
reasonable goal. No one can close them all. I suggest you
start with a low goal like one sale in every 10
presentations. Then, honestly keep track. Don't fail to
count some customers because they "weren't interested". If
you did a presentation, count them and count how many times
you attempted a close and how many sales you got. Once you
know your numbers, you can work on improving them gradually.
Using A "Deal Pack" - No matter what product or service you
sell, I recommend using a "deal pack". A "deal pack" is
simply a catalog size (about 9" X12") envelop that you fill
with one copy of every form you need to make a sale. It
could contain an order form, a finance application, credit
card slips, installation form, truth in lending disclosure
etc. The deal pack serves several purposes:
It Sets The Mood - When you arrive at the customers' home
or office; or when the customer enters you office space,
you begin with a "discovery" to find out their wants, needs
and fears. During this discovery, you give a casual
appearance and ask questions in a relaxed and friendly
manner which helps the customer to "open up" and talk to
you. Toward the end of the discovery, as you are listening
and chatting, you take out a "deal pack" and you casually
open the envelope and take out the papers with the order
form on top and place them in front of you. You do this
very casually and without drawing attention to it. The
customer sees you do this and it tells them tat you plan to
get a sale today. Because it is casual and you draw no
attention to it, very few customers will ask about it or
mention it, but this action sets the mood for them and for
you that a sale is expected today. Just leave the forms in
front of you as you present or as you take the customer to
see the product.
It Reminds You To Close - Another benefit of the deal pack
is that it reminds you to close. When you return to your
office after showing the product or as you look down at the
end of an in-office presentation, there are the closing
forms reminding you of what you do next. This sounds small
but it is a big factor in getting the closing habit.
Here Are The Secret Words To Close - OK, you have waited
to see the secret words that get the sale. Do we hypnotize
the client? Do we pressure them? Not at all. If you have
followed the steps outlined in the booklet and in our books
and DVDs, you are now ready to close. You simply get your
pen and say a statement like, "I'll get the paperwork
started" or "I'll see if I can get this installed this
week" and you start filling out the order. That's it, you
have attempted a close.
Don't Ask Them, Tell Them - Notice that the examples used
are not questions. We never suggest you say "So, do you
want to buy it" because they might say "No". Making a
summary statement and beginning to write and order is the
simplest, most automatic way to close sales. Best of all,
most of my students tell me they have less fear of
rejection when they use this technique. Be sure to do it
automatically every time. Most importantly, be sure you use
a statement and not a question.
Are You Skeptical? - I hope you will try this technique
because it is simple and easy to use. I get calls and
emails every day from people who say it has changed their
careers. If you are skeptical, here is a final suggestion.
Try it in sales situation you are sure will not result in a
sale. That way you have noting to lose and I know it will
work if applied correctly.
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This is a sales training article by Carl Davidson on
Closing Sales. It explains how to automaticllay ask for the
order. Our company offers sales tarining DVDs, seminars and
e-books by Carl Davidson. Get your free sales training
e-book at http://www.sellingislikesex.com or by calling
800-941-0068.
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