Closing the Sale

Many Sales Professionals do well in the first four steps of the Sales Process. But when it comes to the fifth step (Closing the Sale), they hesitate. They fear asking for the Order. They wait for the prospect to say “I’ll buy from you. Here’s the purchase order.” But this will never happen.

If you are a professional Sales Person, you should not be shy to ask for their business. Although you should never be shy about asking for business, prospects will probably give you some signals when they are ready to become customers. Here are some signals that suggest they are ready to buy:

·         Asking about availability or delivery time

·         Asking specific questions about rates, prices or affordability

·         Asking about features, options, quality, guarantees or warranties

·         Asking positive questions about your business

·         Asking to see the regulatory or classification society certificates

·         Asking for something to be repeated 

·         Making statements about problems with previous vendors; they may be seeking reassurance from you that you won't pose the same problems

·         Asking about follow-up service or other products you carry

·         Requesting a sample or asking you to repeat a demonstration for them or for others in their company or family

·         Requesting to visit you office premise or factory and warehouse

·         Asking about other satisfied customers. You should have a list of satisfied customers ready to give to prospects who ask. (Make sure you've already contacted these customers about serving as references)

These are some techniques that often help prospects make the decision to buy.

·         Quit talking after you ask a closing question. Give prospects the opportunity to say yes.

·         Offer an added service, such as delivery, or commissioning.

·         Offer a choice, such as "would you prefer the blue one or silver one?"

·         Offer an incentive such as a 10 percent discount for purchases made now.

·         Lead the customer through a series of minor decisions about such factors as their preferred color or model or feature that are easier to make and that lead to make the bigger decision to actually purchase.

·         Don't give up too soon. Learn to understand prospects' buying styles; some people take longer than others to make a decision.

So what’s next after you have made the sale? This is the crucial last step of the Sales Process. Whether you can secure a long-term business from your client depends on how you treat your prospect after the award of the contract. Stay tuned for the next blog post.