Five Tips for a Higher Closing Ratio
By Brooks Group on 19 Jun 2008 at 01:48 pm
In the many years I’ve been a salesperson and a sales trainer, salespeople have continually asked me, “Why can’t I seem to close a sale? I do everything according to the six steps of the sale. I do what the company requires, but I can’t get the customer to sign the contract. What am I doing wrong?”
I believe salespeople focus too much on the close and not on the process of meeting the customer’s specific needs. Most salespeople I’ve observed have a tendency to:
- Dominate the conversation; thus, it becomes a monologue
- Demonstrate only the items that get them the largest commission
- Sell anything in their “bag of tricks” to close something today
- Talk the buyer into a product or service they really do not want
- Take the easiest path toward a one-time sales call
This behavior wastes both the salesperson’s and the buyer’s time. For higher closing ratios, I suggest looking at these five considerations:
- Make the toughest sales appointments when you are at your highest energy level.
- Find out as much as you can about the company before you arrive.
- Take initiative to learn the names and faces of possible decision makers that may be attending the sales call
- Remain totally focused on the client/prospect you are with presently – not another, bigger appointment later that day or the appointment you just left
- Ask for the order. It’s simple. But, fear often prevents you from taking this final
action.
These five simple steps would make a salesperson’s closings increase dramatically by handling each call with a more professional, pre-planned, priority-based, personal approach.
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I remember watching a Bill Brooks video about three years ago. He was talking about the “P” (Probe Step) in the IMPACT selling system. I remember it very clearly. He said, “Overcoming objections happens during the probing phase of the sales process. If you are still getting objections when it’s time to close, then you didn’t do a very good job during the probe step.”
I’ll join forces with you on this one and add 5 more tips to build on your ideas!
Sales Concept: Closing depends more on what you do in the “middle” than what you do at the “end.”
1. Ask the right questions
2. Uncover the most pressing need
3. Apply ONLY the appropriate solutions
4. Create value
5. Close the deal!
Thanks for the article… I enjoyed it!
Doyle Slayton
Sales and Leadership Strategist
http://www.SalesBlogcast.com
I could not agree more, and especially with number 5. Doyle adds some great advice as well!
http://salesblog.karlgoldfield.com
Excellent tips Laura. I wonder how many of these sales people that ask you this question are really “qualifying” the prospect correctly in the first place?
Are they really analyzing to determine if they have a qualified prospect or are they “fooling” themselves to thinking they have a qualified prospect?
Closing a sale really requires you to just go back through the entire sales process and address all of the prospects concerns.
Questions like, “If I can answer all of these concerns, then will you move forward with this decision?” really boxes the prospect into making the purchase with this technique because he just basically said “yes” without realizing it.
Great Blog and Great Posts!
ELMO
These are all great and relative points but, my Salespeople that close the most deals are recognized as experts by their customers. They spent a significant percentage of their time positioning themselves to be recognized as such.
Additionally, we havefoune that if a prospect doesn’t have at least 3 qualities of a qualified prospect they are most likely not going to buy, regardless of how well you complete the process.
Dear All,
All remarks are excellent.
First question- Do close is the finish line?? At which you need to put extra effort.
If prospect sense this, then close will be longer then expected. The prospect needs to assure him/ her self and others involved that salesman is interested in starting of a long term profitable relationship and not one night stand.
The positioning of the products, company and sales person will mould the decision in prospective mind to buy or not. This happens much before formal close stage. This start from first call, meeting or email. Before reaching close stage customer must have given few buy signals If not then ask some more questions. Or best to ask your self, what would I will do or ask in similar situation if I am a buyer?
At the same we should not underestimate the agility required in salesman at this stage to ask the order or sometime pull the order. Not all customer keep order ready, majority required push from salesperson.
Thanks and it’s great to be in your company.
Regards,
Bhvaesh Desai