How to Close a Sale

Everyone wants to close the sale, but the key to actually doing it is doing everything right leading up to the close. It is easy to get caught up in the way sales are done on television and in movies. Just like most other things that are dramatized, sales are not that entertaining. If you follow the process, the close just might be the easiest part.

Instructions

1. Present yourself in a positive light. When you greet your customer, you need to show them that you are professional and you are able to meet their needs. You cannot close the sale right off the bat, but you can absolutely lose the sale.

2. Ask them what they are looking for, why they are looking for it, what their needs are, who will be using it, how much they are prepared to pay and what other options they are considering. Next, ask more questions based on their answers. If you do not understand what your customer needs and why, you will not consistently close the sale.

3. Present your product to them. Tell them exactly what it is and how it meets their needs. If you have done your work and picked the correct product to show them, you can honestly tell them why it would be a mistake for them not to purchase it. That is a great position to be in. When you know that you have what they need, you can be very up front and direct with your push to close the sale.

4. Overcome objections with truthful insights. Once again, if you have done your work and know that they are on the right item, this is very easy. Customers will grasp at anything to keep from getting tied down before they are ready. Be prepared: know their needs and your product, and you will be able to provide good responses to their objections.

5. Convince them to commit to something, even if it is something you cannot deliver on. Once the customer has made a commitment, you have set the groundwork for negotiating, and they have told you that they will buy your product if everything can be worked out.

6. Continue to work with them no matter what. In the closing phase, this is the most important idea. Even when it looks like negotiations are breaking down, keep working and keep offering alternatives. This is where the corny phrase "Never take no for an answer" comes into play. Once you have guided them to this point and earned their trust, your prospective customers will give you the benefit of the doubt and grant you the chance to work everything out.

7. Follow up with customers whether they buy from you or not. Not everyone is going to purchase your product, but they will probably need it again, and they will have friends who need it. When they believe they were treated with respect and honesty, they will not hesitate to go back to you and tell their friends about you. When that customer comes back in the door with good rapport established, the close will take care of itself.

Tips & Warnings

• Be honest. Customers know when a salesperson is telling them only what they want to hear. Customers will appreciate honesty. If you sell them something under false pretenses, you may close the sale, but they will know what you did, and not only will they not come back, but they will also make sure their friends go somewhere else.

• You will not always have exactly what everyone is looking for. In those situations, do the best you can with what you have to offer. This is the time where it is acceptable to take no for an answer. Do not waste your time, or the customer's time, pushing something that does not fit their needs or is not right for them. The worst thing you can do is drag out an impending rejection for hours and miss the chance to close the sale with other customers who want what you have to offer.

• When presenting your product, do not overdo it with technical information. Stick to the features that fit the customer's needs. If you get too carried away with jargon and minute details, you can lose your customer.

• There will always be an objection waiting for you that you have not heard before. Sometimes someone will drop one on you that you have no good response to. Do not get down on yourself. Learn from it and move on.