In sales, there comes a point when you have to ask for the close in some form or fashion. Now this can be a little bit of an awkward moment for many. Some people make common mistakes at this point and then experience the after thoughts after hanging up the phone or leaving the meeting with the distinct feeling of.... "oh... damn it... I should have said [insert appropriate line]" Yes, it's happened to all of us. You get to the point of closing a deal right then and there and you ask them to make a decision like "would you like to do this or that..."
You're making your sales life harder than it needs to be. Here is what I want you to do - make the decision for your prospect. Tell them, rather than ask them. There's a tactful and smooth way to do this and it works. Rather than say, do you want to pay by check or corporate card? Say, "we will bill this to your corporate card and send the reciept over to your email - what are the card details?" Make the decisions for your prospect so they don't have to. Believe me, you save them time as well as your own. The prospect prefers it this way as well. Less decisions, less hassle, less things to think about.
Give it a try. Any situation that may require you to ask for a decision - change to you making the decision on behalf of the prospect to handle it right then and there. You will find that this speeds up the sales cycle and improves the overall close percentages not too mention reduces work and effort for you and the prospect.
You will use this method of making a deicison for your prospect this week and then post a comment on my blog to let me know how it went and I will look forward to hearing from you. (see that wasn't so hard was it?)
- Robert Cornish
CEO, Richter10.2 Media Group
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