Asking for the Business
Good salespeople are made, not born. There is no such thing as a "born salesperson". While some people may have a greater aptitude for sales, they will not excel without practice and ongoing refinement of their skills. Before considering some closing techniques, let's examine the success factors for closing.
Attitude: To sell effectively, your attitude towards asking for the business must be positive. You must believe that by selling your products, your customer will realize direct benefits. Your attitude must convey your genuine belief in your company and its full range of products and services.
Enthusiasm: Over 50 percent of the sales you close can be attributed to your enthusiasm. Your enthusiasm may be the difference between winning or losing the business. Show your enthusiasm when asking for the business - it's contagious!
Confidence: It is imperative that you have confidence in yourself and your products. The more confidence you demonstrate, the more confident your customers will be that they are making the right decision in dealing with you. Confidence comes from experience and knowledge of the features and benefits of your products.
Knowledge: Knowledge is power! When you are knowledgeable about your products and services, you become a very powerful and effective salesperson. You are able to deal with all types of clients in all types of situations.
Assertiveness: To succeed in today's fast-paced, highly competitive market, we must be more assertive when asking clients for their business. That is not to say that we become aggressive or obnoxious. We must boldly ask our customers to buy our products because if we don't, our competitors will. Offering quality products and services gives you the right to ask your customers for their support.
Practice: There is no substitute for practice in becoming skilled and proficient at Closing. Everyday you are provided with opportunities to practice your closing skills. Take advantage of every opportunity to step beyond your boundaries. Set aside time daily to read, listen to audio cassettes or watch training videos that will enhance your sales skills.
The importance of persistence when asking for the business cannot be over-emphasized. Statistics reveal that 92 percent of salespeople will not ask for the order more than four times, even though 60 percent of customers will say "no" four times before saying "yes". If you begin asking for the order once or twice more than you currently do, the pay-back to you will be significant.
Unfortunately, most salespeople either don't know how to ask for the order, or they don't like asking for it. The fact is that most customers expect to be asked to buy, and don't object if the request is not made in a pushy or condescending manner. Remember, you cannot force your customers to buy; they do so on their own because they need or want your products or services. Your role is to help them make an informed buying decision.
Asking the customer to buy should be a stress-free conclusion to the sales presentation. If you have qualified the customer's needs, presented the features, advantages and benefits of your products and created value in the mind of the customer, you should be able to comfortably ask for the business. When done professionally, often the customer will actually close the sale themselves. If this doesn't happen, it is your responsibility to provide the required encouragement and create the opportunity for the customer to say yes.