The sales close seem to be the most elusive of all sales skills. A mystery to many, the more successful salespersons close with exquisite timing and panache. They seem to score every time. I have even seen books on the subject of The Successful Sales Close.
How I admire the authors of these books. They can turn a six-word instruction into a 60,000-word book. That five-word instruction is a variation of ‘may I have the order, please?’
Iris was a successful sales woman but her triumphs were based on the numbers game and her tenacity. She saw more prospects than others did but her conversion rate was not so hot. Her failing was her inability to close. When it was time to ask for the order her nerves got the better of her.
Another wannabe sales person was so afraid of the ‘curtain call’ that he continued to outline the benefits to avoid getting to the bit where he asked for the order. His nervousness unsettled the prospect to such a point that he usually failed to convert.
A successful salesman of passenger aircraft gave one of the best pieces of advice. Present your product or service and then ask for the order. Simples!
There are variations. You will choose the one that suits you best. From pinning down an appointment to asking for the order, the entire sales pitch is a sales close. If I were to suggest Tuesday at 2 pm the chances are that my prospect had something else in his diary. It also gave him an open invitation to say no. It is then difficult to recover the situation.
My way was to say, “Tuesday 2 pm is fine by me or Thursday at 6 pm might be better for you?” It is then much more difficult for a prospect to say ‘no’. As a failsafe: “Oh, I have a slot on Wednesday too…”
Most deals offer an option. “Your advertisement in the What’s On supplement focuses on your kind of leisure customers. However, if we place it in the sports section we can get it in this week.” Then the close, “Which would you prefer?”
I have seen salesmen double or treble orders simply by using the ‘which would you prefer’ close. This close avoids a situation in which the client is restricted to ‘yes’ or ‘no’. Given the ‘either - or’ close it is very difficult to say no. ©
Michael Walsh has been a successful commission-only salesman for 40 years. During that time, he managed regional sales teams and provided sales training for sales recruits.
He is author of The Business Booster and various company sales and marketing instruction books. During 20-years spent with the Guild of Master Craftsmen, he identified, assessed and successfully recruited over 4,000 companies. Many were Britain’s most successful companies.
The Guild’s patron is The Rt. Hon. Baroness Margaret Thatcher. Its membership base included Rolls-Royce Cars, The Ritz Hotel Group and Parador Hotels (Spain).