Being a good salesperson means relating to people, which is impossible without effective communication. This article will guide you through the critical phases of a closing a deal. The following advice comes from The Sandler Rules.
- Don’t give away too much too soon. Amateur salespeople tend to be overeager in the initial phase of a sales call and launch into a pitch right away. Your first task is to be the one asking the questions. (You wouldn’t talk about yourself the entire time you’re on a first date, would you?) Find out as much as you can about your prospective buyer, their situation and purchasing motives. A good salesperson does more than just dump information about products and pricing – that can easily be found online.
If you take the time to understand the prospect and determine if your products or services truly are the best fit, you provide a much more intelligent and invaluable service. Once you have that knowledge, you can use it to prepare a formal presentation that caters to that prospect’s specific needs. You may want to look good (credible, knowledgeable, etc.), but first and foremost, make sure your information is relevant and of interest to your prospect before you share it.
- Clear things up before you meet with a client. If a client calls to request a quote or a meeting, don’t just assume the best possible version of what they said. For example they might say: “We want to find out how your company can help us,” or “Money is no object.” Avoid “mutual mystification.”
Don’t be afraid that you are already supposed to understand what they mean or that asking questions will make you seem weak. It’s your job to help the prospect clarify what they expect to establish in a meeting. Be direct, confident and guide them with helpful questions. Help them be more specific and define ambiguous terms. The goal is to make sure both parties are on the same page before proceeding.
- Make your client feel comfortable being honest. A bad stereotype of a salesperson is someone that’s too pushy. On the other hand they may mislead you because they don’t want to hurt your feelings. Ideally you want to make your client to feel that you are there to help them. You don’t want to lose confidence in your pitch, but make it clear that you will accept their decision if they decline. The value of this comes with the insight you get into customers reasons for declining. You won’t have to wonder if when they say “I need to think about it,” if they’re really just trying to let you down easy.
- Don’t present new information in the final presentation. Negotiating a sale can take months of work, especially in large-scale B2B sales. There may be a subject area that your client is unfamiliar with which makes them uncomfortable with processing the implications of new information. That’s why the final meeting before a deal is signed is not the time to introduce new information – especially if it involves high-end technology.
Sandler advises: “Don’t answer the unasked question.” If you find yourself forming a sentence that starts with “you’re probably wondering…” you probably want to hold off. The purpose of the final presentation is to review the information that has already been discussed, nothing more.
For more advice about improving your career in sales, be sure to contact Sandler Training for more information!
