The happy close of a sale is just the beginning

Taken from TheBizPlace
An article by Jeffrey Gitomer, May 2007

The closing of a sale is like a storybook ending: "And they all lived happily ever after."

Here are the key points for mastering the closing opportunity -- none of which are sales tricks:

  • People don't like to be sold, but they love to buy. Create a buying atmosphere with questions, value and passion.
  • Knowing why people buy is a billion times more powerful than knowing how to sell. If you don't know the customer's buying motives, you'll fight about price.
  • All things being equal, people want to do business with their friends. How friendly are you?
  • If customers like you and have confidence in you and trust you, then they may buy from you. This is the No. 1 rule of sales. And "like" is the most powerful element of this rule. If they don't like you, they'll never trust you.
  • Relationship beats price 60% of the time.
  • Perceived value beats price 60% of the time.
  • Remove your prospect's perceived risks regarding you or your company, and the sale is yours.
  • The questions you ask determine your fate. Great questions uncover buying motives and boost the customer's confidence that you understand his or her situation.
  • Don't make a speech. Present a compelling message that's value-driven, not product-driven. Keep your conversation short and sweet. This is about the customer, not about you.
  • Actively listen more than you talk. Your prospects will tell you exactly what they want. But make sure you listen with the intent to understand and to respond. The two-word secret to listening: Take notes.
  • There are no objections in selling. There are stalls, barriers and risks -- both real and perceived. Value, trust, proof and buyer confidence will lower those barriers.
  • Challenge prospects to do what's best for their business. This strategy helps eliminate old relationships with other vendors that have lost value.
  • Ask for the order every time. That's so simple, many salespeople overlook it -- especially when the prospect poses a barrier or a stall.

Back to the happy ending. "And they all lived happily ever after."

In sales, the key words are not "happily ever after." The key sales word is "all."

"All" means the customers feel they win, your company feels it wins and you feel you win.

When everybody wins, you don't have a deal or a closing; you have a relationship. And that relationship leads to more sales.

Now that's a happy ending.