Quick Tip for Long Term Business

Have you ever thought that closing the sale happens after the sales presentation?

This belief often leads to the false conclusion that some magical closing technique will take care of poor communication skills during the contact and interview portions of the sales process. We believe that the close is the natural end to a well-conducted sales meeting designed to develop a trusting relationship with the client, rather than some contrived technique for getting people to buy something that they do not want or need. Learn all about how our training, coaching and keynote speaking can help empower your organization.

You have probably seen, read, or heard about books and articles that teach closing techniques. We certainly have. Many of these closing techniques work in a wide variety of situations. In fact, we recommend that you learn some of them.

We do have three concerns with relying primarily on memorized techniques to close the sale.

1. A technique applied in the wrong situation can create disastrous results.
2. Many people have difficulty memorizing more than a few techniques, so they tend to use them in the wrong situations.
3. Techniques applied without understanding the human behavior factors driving the sales process can lead the direction of manipulation tactics rather than influence skills.

We define manipulation as trying to “get” someone to do something for your benefit without regard for their needs. We define influence as working with someone to help them reach a quality decision about solving their problem. We have no issue with influence used with the intent to help your client. We do not advocate the use of manipulation in the sales process under any circumstances.
A successful close, one which will gain a loyal repeat customer and quality referrals, will embody some or all of the following characteristics:

•Brings the sales meeting to its natural end,
•Encourages you to listen to your client,
•Forces you to take note of their concerns, and
•Helps you identify and address their concerns without coming across as pushy or manipulative.

Therefore – Stop selling your product and start selling RAPPORT. Work to develop a relationship where the client begins to view you as their trusted advisor because they KNOW, LIKE and TRUST you.  Please note: Building rapport takes more time than just a quick, transactional sale but provides greater ROI in the form of repeat business and quality referrals.

The key to successful application of the closing approach we teach and encourage comes not from the approach itself, but from the relationship you developed during the sales process. We believe that closing the sale starts the moment you make your first contact with your prospective client. The close becomes a natural conclusion to the process because you have  become the clients trusted advisor. This happens as a result of carefully identifying your client’s problem and proposing a suitable solution. Closing the sale just means that your client feels comfortable moving forward with you as well as the solution that you proposed.

Closing the sale is the natural conclusion to the sales process that begins with developing RAPPORT.