They say one should always be closing. They're wrong! The one who is always closing is never listening, never partnering with the customer for her best outcome, never trustworthy. To always be closing is to always regard a potential customer as a mark, a commission, a meal ticket.
That attitude objectifies and dehumanizes other people for selfish gain at the expense of another. It is manipulative, cynical, and the worst of what sales is all about. There is, indeed, a fine art to sealing a deal. But it is not as simple as ABC. It requires finesse and nuance.
But it is not just a cold, heartless process of precise steps that guarantees a sale from every prospective client. There is a process. But it is fluid, and must be tailored for the individual and situation at hand. Even so, some aspects of sealing the deal remain constant across the board. Here are three:
Analyze Your Sales Process
Primary-Intel.com offers a service that helps companies analyze their sales process so that they can fine-tune it for maximum results. If you are having a hard time converting sales opportunities to signed contracts, you probably need a company like this one to help spot the problem and come up with a plan of action to fix it.
This type of outside help can better reveal:
- What buyers want
- Where you stand out
- Sales training needs
- Upsell potential
- New markets
- Win-back opportunities
This is the type of win-loss analysis that can make or break your business. You can't fix a problem that you don't know you have. And you can't fully understand the nature of your problem without careful and in-depth analysis. This type of process audit requires a second pair of eyes making an impartial assessment of your process, products, and the way potential customers perceive them. To fine tune your results, you either have to analyze your process or hire a professional to do it for you.
Create Mailing Lists the Right Way
A mailing list can be a powerful sales tool. But it can also drive away your customers. Make sure that what you call an email list is not what your potential customers call spam. One of the worst things you can do is buy a mailing list. That will almost certainly constitute spam and might be illegal in your state.
A good mailing list is one built on relationship and consent. A bad mailing list is built on deceit and betrayal. Automatically signing someone up for a list they knew nothing about while they were doing something unrelated is deceptive. When you buy a list, that means someone they did business with sold them out.
First, make sure people know they are signing up for your mailing list. Offer them something they want in exchange, such as more information, an ebook, or a free consultation. Contests are a bit more dodgy as they play on emotion and impulse, not intellect and intent. A contest entrant isn't interested in your business, just the free iPad on offer. Take the time to build a good list. And good things will follow.
Don't Close Too Early
The biggest problem with the ABC mentality is that you might actually close a deal before it is ready to be closed. If you are selling something like health insurance, there is a lot the client needs to know before signing the dotted line. You should set aside at least an hour for a proper sales conversation.
Poor retention numbers are indicators of abbreviated sales conversations. Help Scout's advice on customer retention included this:
If customers don't enjoy your selling process, they'll likely never do business with you again. Thus, selling to customers the "correct" way is an integral part of creating customer loyalty.
You can't shortcut the process, rushing the prospect past critical information that allows them to make a truly informed decision. If you are afraid that providing enough information will lose you the sale, you're doing it wrong.
Don't try to close too early. Create mailing lists the right way, and analyze your sales process, with outside help if necessary. These are core components of sealing the deal.