Over the past few days we have spoken a great deal about “closing the deal.” Closing the deal can refer to the notion of completing a sale or convincing a customer to buy your product. Many would say that sales is an extremely intimidating field, and the idea of closing a deal being the most intimidating aspect of the process. The reason being that when one engages in sales the opportunity to fail is heightened and as a result feelings of self-doubt can loom.
In order to learn how to better the art of “closing the deal,” I took to the internet to research this notion. I learned a lot, however, the most interesting being from Matthew Cook, founder of Salesforce. In a short article he identified the three reasons why people are unable to close a deal.
- Your Prospects Don’t Commit
Often in sales the attitude of needing to make a sale can cloud judgement. We have all humored the poor sales person at the mall, allowed them to give us their best sales pitch, fully knowing we would never buy their product. It is crucial to gauge the interest of a potential client. While it is beneficial to be aggressive in the process, it is also important to know when someone has zero intention of committing. Something as simple as having the prospect fill out some paperwork, or attempting to plan a follow-up meeting with the prospect can help you as the seller get a peek at their interest level.
- You Don’t Lay Enough Groundwork
Sometimes when you can’t close a sales it is due to problems that occurred earlier in the relationship. If you fail to provide the prospect with sufficient reasons to buy from you, their will to buy from you will erode as soon as your conversation ends. Buyer’s remorse is a growing epidemic, and will occur to some degree anytime you leave the buyer alone with their thoughts. This is why a firm foundation of potential value needs to be established in the prospect’s mind.
- You Have Problems in Your Process
While many sales people can rely on charm and charisma to close the deal, the best sales people realize the value of following a sales process. It is crucial to reflect on positive and negative sales experiences and draw conclusions about your behavior. You might find it surprising that there will be minor consistent differences between the times you can’t close sales and the times you can.
For some the act of “closing” is one that will feel foreign or forced. Some can feel like a fish out of water in the act of being so forward. However, with a solid process by your side, and confidence in self, even the most timid can be become pros.
BoweryJE22
I agree 100% with this! Closing the sale is one of the most important steps, and it’s easy to mess that up if you aren’t careful with the way you approach it. Great job, Grace!
Grace!
This post speaks a lot of truth. I think going through the process of sales is a much better idea than just trying to shmooze your way into to closing the sale. It is key to read your clients or potential clients well and sell to them the way they need to be sold to. Ultimately making the goal to close the deal!
This post makes a lot of great points. closing a deal can be as easy as following a set of steps. a lot of people forget that this is the most important step.
This post made a great point about following a sales funnel to avoid premature closing. The most important aspect to develop before the close was establishing a clear, solid foundation of value. I could not agree more. This appears to be common sense, but the high stress of the situation can often cause you to get lost. This post did a great job explaining the importance of closing but at the same time expressing what must come first before the close.