close the sale with a
proven sales process
Close the sale with a sales process that gains agreement from the prospect at every stage.
Stage 4 of the sales process...
Slide from the sales training course Selling SuccessIn the Introduction Stage of the sales process you gain agreement to an agenda that includes asking for a buying decision in the Closing Stage.
In the Questioning Stage you gain agreement to having all the buyer's needs, wants, and desires.
In the Presentation Stage you gain agreement to your proposal providing benefits that meet the buyer's requirements.
Having gained all that agreement throughout the 4 stages of the sales process, to close the sale you just ask a simple 2 part question to gain agreement to the next step of the sale.
Define What Close the Sale Means to You
Before we look at the techniques and words to use to close the sale, let's define what closing means to you.
What constitutes a closed sale in your sales process?
Is it when an order is agreed verbally, maybe on a phone call? It could be a signed contract, a letter of intent, an action taken online, or a payment for a product or service.
In some businesses it's when a trial of a service starts or the first delivery is accepted. In my current business a sale is considered closed, and commission becomes payable, when an order is placed and the first month's fee is paid online.
Clearly define what the action is you want prospects to take as a result of your sales meeting or call.
That action is what you are going to ask for in the Closing Stage. If the action is to make a payment or open an account, that is what you ask for. If it's accepting delivery, starting a trial, or agreeing a start date of a service contract, then ask for it.
How to Close the Sale
You close the sale with a simple question, you ask the prospect to agree to take an action. You can only do this because of all the agreement you have gained as your conversation went through the sales stages.
Slide from the sales training course Selling SuccessNow, in the Closing Stage, you can stop selling.
The prospect has already agreed that your Sales Presentation covered everything they want.
If you haven't seen the page on presenting yet, you can find it at: Sales Presentation Stage
In the training I have developed and used when training sales teams, I show a 2 part closing question.
The first part asks if the presentation has covered everything the prospect requires. The second part asks if they will move forward to the next step of the sales process and take whatever action closes the sale.
You can see training I use on how to close the sale using this technique at: Selling Success
Change Your Viewpoint
In the sales training I have used in my career to train sales and telesales people, changing viewpoints, using new frames, and adopting a positive and beneficial mindset plays an important role.
Up to now, you may have viewed closing the sale as a big decision for the prospect. Something separate from the rest of the sales stages. Many sales people frame the close as where they start selling by using persuasion techniques to get the prospect to see their product, service, or proposal is what they want. If you ask them where do they close the sale, they answer: After the Sales Presentation.
With the sales training you find here, you start closing the sale at the Introduction Stage. With more agreement gained in the Questioning and Presentation stages. at the Closing Stage a simple question is all that is required.
You should frame the close as just a move forward to the next step of the sales process. With all the selling you have done earlier, all the testing, checking, and agreement gaining, moving to the next step is a logical decision for the buyer.
More Sales Training on How to Close the Sale
To close more sales keep investing in your sales skills and knowledge.
I use the course below to train corporate sales teams, both telesales and field sales, on how to close more sales. Take a look and see how it can help you.
The professional sales training course Selling Success shows you how to build closing the sale into all the sales stages.
The step by step instructions and the included exercise program show you what to say and what to do from the first Introduction, through the Questioning and Presentation, to the Close.
This is the easiest way to create your own script to achieve successful repeatable results and a consistent high income. See more about the course already proven to work at: Selling Success
The Stages of the Sales Process
Slide from the sales training course Selling SuccessThe sales process contains 4 sales stages. You can see sales training on adding agreement gaining to the other stages at:
The Closing Stage - This page
A Mini-Course to Start Your Sales Training
How to sell is a nutshell version of the Selling Success complete sales training course. It introduces closing sales by using a sales process.
With agreement gaining woven into the sales process, closing the sale becomes just a simple, no pressure question because you have done all the work in the early stages.
Learn the 4 stages of a sale and the smaller steps of each stage to form a smooth pathway to guide your prospects to the close. Customise the process for your telesales role or field sales role by adding your own words. Whether you sell to retail customers, B2B or B2C buyers, or large organisations, the process will work for you.
You can see more information at: How to Sell or you can start using the course to increase your sales today for just £9.97
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