I have been talking a lot over the last 60 days about technology and leads. Both of these things are great but they will not get you sales by themselves. Someone still has to close the sale and that someone is you! Today, I want to share with you my top 3 closing techniques that I have used for years in the field to close merchant services deals, web design sales, point of sale systems and much more. I hope you enjoy these tips and more importantly, I hope you use them in the field today to close a sale!
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#1 – Assumptive / Paperwork Close – If you feel fairly confident that you have an interested prospect, my advice is to skip all the fancy closing lines and just assume you have the sale. After you have completed your presentation ask, “Bob, are there any other questions you have for me?” Once they respond that all their questions have been answered, pull out the paperwork and as you do ask, “Great Bob, let me get some basic information, first of all, how do you spell your last name?” or “What is the mailing address you would like us to use?” Continue asking these detail questions and fill out the form as if they said “Yes.” They will stop you if they are not ready and then you can answer their questions and move back to the paperwork.
#2 – Permission Close – This close is very similar to the “Paperwork Close” but you would use this one first because while you believe the prospect is interested, you are not 100% sure you have the sale yet and / or you are dealing with a strong decision maker that likes to stay in control. You repeat the first step above to see if they have additional questions but before moving to the paperwork you say, “Bob, I am excited about working with you and I believe I can provide a great service. With your permission, I would like to get the paperwork completed so we can start providing you with (whatever you are providing) right away…” At this point, you MUST BE SILENT!!! No talking! Let them think and they will usually respond by giving you the permission you seek.
#3 – Ask for the business! If you don’t know where you are at with the relationship and you get lost in the sales process, my advice is to ask for the business! No fancy tricks, just say, “Bob, it has been a real pleasure meeting you and discussing how I might be able to serve you. Have I earned your business?” It is surprisingly difficult to say “No” to this question and so I use it often.
I hope these short tips will help you close a deal this week!
James Shepherd
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