These days too many sales people spend too much time selling and no time closing. These two are completely different arts. Selling requires you to sell features, benefits and get emotional involvement while the close requires persistence and logic to make sense of getting your customer to make a decision. Closing directs them to take action and exchange money for your product or service. The world is filled with sales people who never commit to the art of closing the deal! Here are my top 10 rules to getting you that yes and close the sale.
TOP 10 RULES TO CLOSE THE SALE:
1.) Always be seated. Never present your proposal while you are standing. You don’t close the sale that way. Sell on your feet close from your seat!
2.) Always present in writing. Never talk about your proposal without presenting it in writing. Always present with a contract rather than with a conversation.
3.) Always clearly communicate your proposal. Don’t mumble. Clearly ask for the order to close the sale. “Sir if you don’t have any other reservations, sign here.”
4.) Always make eye contact. Make direct eye contact with your customer, be confident and determined to earn the business now not later. Practice this often so that you can maintain eye contact to close the sale.
5.) Always have a pen available. The sales person that doesn’t have pen and contract ready is not a closer. Never be without a pen and contract so that when the opportunity is there, you don’t miss it.
6.) Use humor to relieve pressure. I have never met a closer that didn’t know how to use humor to relieve pressure. I have hundreds of little one-liners to relieve pressure and close the sale. Check out my Close the Sale app for Smart phones for help here.
7.) Always ask one more time! Most sales people never ask for the close one time, much less the 5-6 times that is necessary.
8.) Always have an arsenal of closes available. You need to have closes for every possible stall and objection the buyer can throw at you. It’s human nature to resist a decision. Remember, the buyers don’t make sales, you do.
9.) Always stay with the buyer. Never leave the buyer if possible. You want compression in the close so that the buyer cannot get away from the idea of making a decision. I’ve even traveled home with the customer in order to close the sale!
10.) Always treat the buyer like a buyer. Regardless of the buyer’s financial situation or reasons for not being able to close, always continue to treat the buyer like a buyer despite what they tell you.
Follow these top 10 rules to close the sale and master the art of closing. Remember, if you ever need any help to get you started or even just want more ways to close, download my “Close the Sale” app HERE for access to 300 different closes!
Grant Cardone, Internationals Sales Training Expert and NY Times Best-Selling Author
