Closing a sale can be tedious, nerve-wracking, frustrating and exhilarating all within 5 minutes. Closing skills are some of the most essential attributes to successfully working in sales. A solid pitch informs, engages, helps and tempts potential buyers. But it is the close that seals the deal. Approaching the close is often quite stressful, as there is a fine line between being persuasive and pushy. Finding the right balance between being encouraging without being aggressive can often make the difference.
A well-trained salesperson will build both the level of enthusiasm and the level of trust with potential buyers, and will handle the closing in a manner that makes the buyer feel in control.
A successful sales rep should endeavour to:
If both of the above are done successfully, the close will come naturally. However, even those deals that seem the most destined and obvious need a little nudge. Becoming a strong closer takes skill and practice, but there are some effective tips that the most successful salespeople will agree on.
The most common closing techniques use an element of psychological finessing. These tactics are formulated to trigger a sense of need and urgency in the prospects.
This is the most effective and most commonly used closing technique. It instills in buyers a sense of importance in making a quick decision--to strike while the iron is hot.
Some examples of this tactic are:
The option close puts buyers in the driver’s seat. It basically encourages the sale, while giving them the control to choose an option that best suits their needs. This tactic not only encourages buyers to go through with the sale, but it also gives them a bigger part in the decision making.
In this technique, the salesperson gives the buyer more options in the sale. For example:
Ultimately, people will be more inclined to choose the option that saves them money, as well as time.
This tactic uses repetition and confidence to secure the deal. By continually mentioning the product/service and the sale, the buyer often becomes more engaged in the process, and in turn, is more receptive to the close. This technique is often used in conjunction with the previous two tactics. An example of this technique is:
Sales and closing techniques are constantly changing and expanding. While the previous tactics are effective closing techniques, they may seem a little too sales oriented, given the emphasis on inbound sales. Sales reps have now begun to employ other methods including the following:
This technique is very effective as it takes into account the buyer’s needs. It requires great listening skills, and it helps to be quite knowledgeable about your prospect’s operations. With this closing technique, the salesperson asks a number of probing questions right from the start to uncover underlying challenges in the prospect’s operations, as well as eliminating the reasons they may be hesitating to close the sale. For example:
This approach assumes from the start that you are going to close the deal. This technique focuses on the positives of your pitch, and highlighting how beneficial your product/service is to their business. It also requires you to keep checking in with the prospect to ensure that you completely understand the challenges they need to solve. For example:
If a potential buyer is hesitant on an offer, sometimes removing aspects of the sale will entice them to come back to the original offer. For example, if they are hesitant about the price, offer a lower price with some of the features eliminated. This often makes the prospects think of out was removed rather than the discounted price. For example:
This technique highlights the benefits of your product or service and asks a low-impact question. This technique focuses on increasing the prospect’s confidence in your offer. The prospect does not have to make any commitment and it also gives you more time to suss out their needs. For example:
Creating a basket of closing skills is one of the most important things a sales rep can do. In order to get the most out of your sales efforts, it is very important to provide training that covers both soft closing skills and training on more concrete skills like a mastery of sales enablement tools.