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The Sales Close-When do you begin?

Submitted by Mitch Seigel on Tues, 02/16/2016

This is the first blog in my sixth year of blogging! To answer the question when do you begin to close- the time to begin the close is at the start of the sales process with a client. Not at the end! Every question you ask your client is a closing question. How long have you been in business? How many locations do you have? How long have you had e-commerce? Etc. etc. For every question you ask and receive the answer, you are one step closer to closing the sale.

I can’t blog about the sales close without a reminder about asking questions of your client. Whenever you ask your client a question- let me repeat, whenever you ask you client a question…..SHUT UP!....SHUT - UP! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen a salesperson ask a question and instead of waiting for the answer, they keep on talking, and talk themselves right out of a sale. Remember; when you ask a closing question, the first person to talk loses! Learn to SHUT UP!

So how do you get to the close? The more you learn about your client, and the more you can show how the client’s needs can be resolved by using your product or services, the quicker you will be to closing the sale. That means research ahead of a meeting. In fact, research ahead of that first call to the client as well. You just never know what might come up in conversation, and you must be prepared.

The closing process should take you through a cycle to eliminate objections. You eliminate the objections, you close the sale. If you can’t eliminate all the objections, then you need to be able to show the client how the advantages and benefits of using your product and/or services far outweigh the remaining objections. That could include price. For example, if the value of what you are offering is worth $5,000 more than the asking price, you have eliminated the objection of it costing too much. I wish I could tell you that you can win them all, but I can’t. However, if you use these practices religiously, you will close a higher percentage of sales, which should move you much closer to your goals.

What are your challenges when it comes to the sales close? I look forward to hearing your comments. Until next time…