Closing the Deal

As a professional sales trainer I am often called by companies that want me to teach their team how to be better “closers.” They want the tips, techniques, tricks and secrets that will help them close more sales. I always tell them the same thing: If you want your reps to be better closers they need to be better sellers. There are hundreds of closing tricks that have been used over the years, but most are either outdated or just don’t work. I use only one close. It’s simple, direct and honest. And it works. If you are doing things right, closing should be the natural outcome of the sales process. It should be painless and fairly effortless.

Most people think the best presenters and closers make the best salespeople. Not true. Being able to give a terrific presentation and having the chutzpah to ask for the order are both important. The best salespeople, however, while they are sometimes the best presenters and are willing to ask for the business, they are always three things:

The best Questions Askers – As a salesperson you need to be like a reporter digging (gracefully and without pressure) for clues.
The best Listeners – If you ask the right questions but don’t actively listen, you might as well not have asked at all.
The best Storytellers – People like and get engaged in stories if they’re well-told and honest. In order to be a great salesperson you must be able to have a conversation with your prospects that includes verbal truth stories. (Stories that show how using your product of service has worked well for other customers)

While most would agree that selling is about presenting I suggest that if you ask the right questions, then shut up and listen, people will tell you almost everything you need to know in order to help them get involved with what you have to offer. The key to selling is in the questions.

There are lots of sales processes offered by various companies…some great, some not so great but there are many that will work fine. At some point whether your process has two steps, 5 steps or 21 steps you’ll want to:

Establish rapport with the prospect
Gain the right to gather information
Gather information (Interview)
Validate the information
Make your suggestion (Present)
Help them buy (Close)

1 & 2) You need to engage in some conversation first that isn’t directly related to the sale. I prefer to not use “cheap” clichés like, “How ‘bout those Mets?” or “Nice weather we’re having” but if that’s all you’ve got, use it because you can’t just walk in and start asking questions or presenting. Asking how the company got started, how the person came to this company or how they got where they are now are questions I like to use. You need to find questions you’re comfortable asking that tend to get prospects to open up a bit. Share information about yourself in order to help them see it’s “safe” to share information. By sharing some information about you and your company (this is not your full presentation) you can easily move to the next phase of the sale.
Notice next to #3 (above) I wrote “Interview,” not “Interrogate.” Your information gathering should be prepared (before the sales call ask yourself the following: “If the prospect would give me unlimited time and would answer every question I asked with complete openness, what questions would I ask that would help me close this sale?”) by thinking in advance what information you want to walk away with after this meeting and going over, in your head, a list of the questions you intend to ask to get that information. Certainly you’ll want to find what the potential customer has done in the past regarding what you offer, what they’re looking to accomplish, and how they currently do what you offer. You’ll want to keep this conversation casual. I use what I call “softeners.” “By the way…” and “I’m just curious…” are two examples of phrases that tend to soften a question. For example, “Just out of curiosity, Bill, how many salespeople do you have here at Microsoft?” is softer than, “How many salespeople do you have here Bill?” Less of an interrogation, more of a conversation. Gather as much conversation as you can, in a casual way, so that you can suggest a plan that will make sense to your prospect. When it makes sense to people to buy, they buy!
After gathering information you should then repeat it back to the customer to make sure the two of you are on the same page regarding the situation. If you are, it’s time to make your recommendation. If not, you’ll need to get on the same page by asking more questions and getting better answers. Reconfirm your understanding before moving on.
When presenting focus on what the prospect cares about most, the W.I.I.F.M. or the What’s In It For Me. Salespeople tend to spend an inordinate amount of time focusing on what their product (or service) “is” or “has” which are known as the features. The smart rep is always adept at showing the “here’s what that will do for you” known as the benefit. People need to know something about the features, but they buy the benefits. You don’t buy a car because it has a steering wheel; you buy a car in order to have the “benefit” of being able to drive from point A to point B. Focus on benefits.
When you ask for the business be simple and direct. “I’d love to do business with you. What are your thoughts?” “I think we’re a great match for your needs and would love to work with you. How do you feel about that?” or, the one I use, “In my professional opinion that’s the plan that makes sense to me and what I believe we should do to move forward. What do you think?”

If the buyer indicates their ready to buy, they’re closed! If not, it’s time to ask one of my favorite questions: “Why?” (Or, “Why not?”) If the “objection” is something you can help them work through, do so making sure to let them know how you’ve worked that same situation out in the past with a prospect who became a customer and lived “happily ever after!” If you can’t help them choose to buy from you, leave them with a good impression of you and your company. I’ve had prospects become customers years after initially getting a “No” from them. Be prepared to make a referral to someone else who might be a better match for them right now. (I do this when appropriate and it helps your prospect and pays a bonus of giving you more credibility)

You should always have the attitude that every sale will close because of your company’s terrific product or service and your personal commitment to helping the customer while remembering that no one closes them all. Have plenty in your pipeline at all times and be prepared to move on whether a deal closes or doesn’t. To a certain extent it’s a numbers game and the more you have in the pipeline the better chance of more business closing.

Want to close more sales? Use the right process. When you do that, closing is natural and easy.