Closer: A relief pitcher who specializes in getting the final outs in a close game. The person who excels at concluding or finalizing a deal, sale, or agreement.
Let’s face it, as hustlers, we understand sales can be a grind. From cold calling to multiple meetings, quotes and quotas, follow-ups, Zoom calls, emails and finally to closing the deal…or not! While nothing about sales is easy, closing may be the hardest because it’s when the customer must commit and we, as salespeople, have to ask for the sale.
Go online and you’ll find all sorts of tactics to close a sale, some with great names. The assumptive close, the Columbo close, the urgency close, the puppy dog close, the alternative close, now or never close, backwards close, Ben Franklin Close, soft close, and hard close. While it’s important to lead a customer to securing the deal, it’s just as important to build trust and ensure they have all the facts to say “Yes, you’ve won the order!”
Some of us are better at cold calling and landing new business (hunters) while others are great at taking existing accounts and growing them (farmers). But both roles involve closing. And while there is no magic bullet for closing, there are things you can do to make it easier for the customer to say “yes” when the time comes.
In the film “Glengarry Glen Ross”, Alex Baldwin tells a group of real estate salespeople to always be closing. And he’s not wrong. But here’s the thing: for most of us, closing is simply the last step in the process we do day in and day out. So closing truly does begin from your first interaction with a prospect because sales is all about building relationships.
Take the bullet points below and craft sales presentations and proposals that will blow your prospects and customers away:
- Never lie: The perception of salespeople is we’re all sleazy, and lying to a customer only perpetuates that stereotype. Sure, you want to make a sale and you figure telling the customer what they want to hear, even if it’s a small lie, won’t hurt. Studies show 50% of buyers already believe they’ve been lied to by salespeople and that makes it harder for all of us. Be truthful in all your interactions because as Mark Twain said, “If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.”
- Ask questions: My mom always said I’d be great in sales because I liked to talk. But the truth is, great salespeople instead ask intuitive, probing questions to better understand their customers’ needs. Be genuine and ask open-ended questions to encourage a dialogue. Questions should explore potential customer pain points, their challenges, their goals, and what their expectations are from the products and services you offer. To close a sale, it’s important to have context, and asking questions not only helps tailor a solution that fits their needs, but builds trust and rapport.
- Know your products: Most products and services have a lot of components and it’s imperative you know them inside and out. Honestly, how can you sell with confidence if you can’t answer questions prospects are likely to ask? That kind of disconnect can destroy trust, create buyer hesitation, slow down the sales process, and result in lost opportunities. There’s no faking it until you make it in sales. To close sales and create long-term customers, understand every aspect of your products and services and how they will benefit your clients and deliver value.
- Know your competition: Understanding your competitors’ strengths and weaknesses is key to a successful sales career. Sticking your head in the sand and thinking your customers, even your most loyal, aren’t talking with your competitors is foolish. Competitors aren’t just brick and mortar, but any company that shares a customer base selling the same or similar products. In promotional products, 4Imprint is the elephant in the room with $1.3 billion in annual sales. So you first must identify as many competitors as possible. Then use social media, Linkedin, internet searches, blogs, their own websites, and anything else you can think of to analyze how they may be targeting your customers. Competitive intelligence is essential in forming proposals and answering objections.
- Address objections: Ever heard any of these: “Your price is too high”, “Let me think about it”, Your competitor is cheaper”, “I’ve spent all my budget”? Objections are a natural part of the sales process and if you’ve heard any of the above, you must know how to answer them. Customers may use objections to get better prices, express concerns, blow you off, or make sure they understand what you offer. Think of objections as opportunity because they signal an interest, but with reservations. Once you know your products, understand your competition, ask the right questions, and address objections, you’ll be ready to close, knowing you’re providing value and building long-term relationships.
Closing then is really a culmination of everything you’ve done to build the relationship with your prospects and customers. It isn’t about tricks or pressure, it’s about guiding those who need your products and services to a decision that is mutually beneficial.
Remember, people buy from people they trust. Hustlers inherently know this and build relationships with customers that can last throughout their career. As Zig Ziegler said, “If people like you, they will listen to you. but if people trust you, they will do business with you.”