Achieve Closure
Many sales professionals either forget to close the sale or are afraid to attempt to close the sale. Yet when they feel that they are intimidating or strong-arming the prospect, they will not only lose the sale but also eliminate any chance for future profits or referrals.
The key is to remember the old adage: consumers hate to be sold but love to buy. Instead of asking the customer for the close, get the customer to ask you for the close.
It may sound difficult, but it’s not. All you have to do is change your mindset from selling the customer your service to helping him solve his problems. Find out what challenges your prospect is facing, such as slow check-out times or frequent printer jams. Then, turn those into opportunities for success, both yours and the prospect’s. For example, if he is experiencing slow check-out times, your service can offer faster authorizations, gift cards instead of time consuming paper gift certificates, and wireless terminals to open extra checkout lanes on the fly.
If he is having trouble with returned checks, your check guarantee service can reduce returns and increase checkout time by automatically approving checks under a certain dollar amount.
If you are able to solve his challenges and turn them into profitable opportunities, he will ask you for the sale and close the deal. The customer will not feel manipulated, you will know that you’ve sold a service they need, and you will probably get a referral or testimonial as well.
© Copyright 2001; The Green Sheet, Inc.
