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Quick, what is the one thing you hate most about
selling? Odds are you answered either "Cold Calling" or
"Closing." Both of these are difficult for the same reason; they have
a high incidence of rejection. They are also similar in that the hit rate
achieved with both depends very heavily on confidence and the finely tuned
techniques used by the sales person.
Leaving cold calling for another article, we'll share with you here ideas on
the most successful ways we have seen for "pulling the trigger."
Assumptive Closing: The Most Powerful Technique
In every successful sale, there is a point in time when you know you are
almost home. The prospect appears very interested, the price is no barrier and
you have skillfully answered any objections the prospect has raised. You might
be tempted to say something like: "Shall I write up the order?"
Suddenly it is decision time. The prospect looks you in the eye and says:
"I don't know. I'll have to think it over."
With the assumptive close, you avoid this potentially difficult moment by not
directly asking for the order. You merely begin acting as if the prospect has
already said yes. You can do this in many ways.
Below is an example:
Customer: And what colors are available for this model?
Salesperson: We have a catalog of 82 standard colors of our own, but
we can also match any of the PMS colors.
Customer: That's important, because we already use PMS 457 on our
other equipment.
Salesperson: Great, then that's the one we will use. What we will do
is have our engineers take a sample of the finish you use now, run a
colorimetry test and verify that we mix a 457 that exactly matches.
Customer: OK. And what's the lead time like for spare parts?
Salesperson: We keep most parts in stock in town here for next day
delivery. If we have to order in from the warehouse, the maximum is 10 days.
Who handles your parts inventory?
Customer: Gloria, our inventory supervisor.
Salesperson: What I will do then, after our meeting today, is sit
down with Gloria and find out how her parts inventory and ordering system
works. Then I can get back to you and recommend the minimum on-site parts
inventory that will ensure continuous operation.
Customer: Fine. Let me call Gloria now and tell her to expect you.
In this conversation, the customer is giving good buying signals by asking
small-point questions, but she has not said she will buy. Rather than ask for
the order, forcing a yes/no response, the salesperson began to talk about things
that "will" happen as if the decision has already been made. The
"close" took place when the customer set up a meeting between the
salesman and the inventory supervisor.
Rules of the assumptive close:
- Wait for customer buying signals, such as positive statements or
small-point questions. You can't close until all of the prospect's major
issues and question are out of the way.
- Begin to talk assumptively, such as using the word "will"
instead of "would" or "if" to describe how your product
will be installed or used by the customer.
- When the customer joins you in using assumptive language or takes
affirmative step to implement your product or service, the sale has been
closed.
Eight More Closing Tips That Will Deliver For You
1. Ask confidently
Probably the biggest closing error is asking without confidence. Your words,
your tone of voice and your posture must say you are certain you have exactly
what the prospect needs. Any unplanned pause, any weak body language, any
tentative language -- and you give the prospect a reason to say no.
2. Close by stating the action rather than asking
"Shall we go ahead?" is O.K. It's not great, because it says the
salesperson is not sure what the answer will be. "Let's go ahead and
schedule your shipment" is stronger.
3. Ask choice questions
"What size machine do you want?" is a good closing question, but
if used too early it might make the prospect feel you are pressuring for a
decision. "Which of these three models would have the capacity to meet your
need?" puts the prospect under less pressure and is likely to elicit a
useful answer. And, whichever one the prospect picks, you can then ask:
"How would it fit in with your production goals for next year?"
4. Offer to help with the decision
"How many do you need?" may result in the prospect saying he'll
have to check and get back to you. Instead, try: "Let me help you check
your current supply so we can determine how many you will need."
5. Avoid abrupt transitions
Many a close is killed by the salesperson opening the briefcase, taking out
the order form, looking for the pen and other overt closing actions. These
actions, as well as changes in body language and verbal tone alert the prospect
to raise his or her guard.
The ideal close flows seamlessly from the presentation -- the order form is
already on the table, but perhaps under other papers. The pen is already out.
The salesperson's tone flows without interruption from telling the benefits to
describing the action the prospect needs to take now.
6. Include a benefit in your request for the order
"Just add your approval here and in less than two weeks you'll have the
best looking new driveway on the block."
7. Avoid scary words
"Signature" is a scary word to many prospects.
"Approval" is not. "Order" may be scary to some, but not
"Authorize." Instead of "Please sign this and we'll go ahead with
your order," try "All I need to get going is your approval right
here." Instead of "place your order," try "authorize
delivery."
8. After closing, shut up
Once you ask for the order, say nothing, even if it takes the prospect a
while to respond. This puts the prospect under pressure to either say yes (or
sign) or come up with a good reason not to. If you speak after you ask for the
order, you give the prospect a nice opportunity to delay the decision.
Even after the prospect agrees to buy, the less said the better. I've seen
many deals unsold by a salesperson who raises new issues after the close, which
then blossom into major objections.
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