Sales Strategy
Modern Day Selling: Simple Steps To More Effective Closing | July 30, 2015 (0 comments)
Tallahassee, FL—Have you ever really thought deeply about the concept of closing a sale? For many sales associates, closing is the hardest part of the sales presentation and can be very complicated and complex. This is because of the way we have sold our customers in the past. But what if I told you that there is a better way to close? That closing could be the easiest part of your sales presentation?
Today this will become your reality.
For years, we have been taught to start closing the sale at the beginning of the sales process. We have been shown many crafty techniques and closing styles that can actually work—sometimes. But there’s a more effective approach that will revolutionize your closing skills. It starts with an understanding that there is a time and place for everything in your sales presentation.
From now on, put your closing technique back in its proper order of selling, which is at the end of the sales presentation. Would you watch the ending of a movie first? No! It would ruin the movie. And selling out of order can ruin the sales presentation.
The first important concept is to understand that you must earn the right to close your customer. You do this by building trust and giving them the confidence to jump into the close with you. Think of closing like skydiving: it takes courage to make that first jump into the unknown. Your customer feels similarly when they enter your store the first time. You as a sales associate are now your customer’s instructor through the sales process. They must have complete trust in you to overcome their fear of the unknown. Once you have gained their trust and given them confidence, they will jump into the close with you time and time again.
Now imagine you had a lousy instructor for your first skydiving experience. If they didn’t appear confident, didn’t know how to pack your parachute properly, and seemed just as nervous as you, would you feel confident enough to jump? I think not. Confidence is the most important skill in closing. Your customer is looking to you as their instructor to give them the confidence they need to buy. Any sign of weakness will make the customer second-guess their choice and they will not jump into the close with you.
Another important concept to remember is that your customer may give you some reassurance objections as you go through the closing process. Reassurance objections are very different from regular objections. These actually let you know that you are doing your job well. For example, they might ask, “Is this the best price you can offer?” What they are telling you is that they would like to buy and need reassurance they are not overpaying. A confident sales associate will close immediately with reassurance. Apply this knowledge to your closing technique and see how effective become.
In closing this series on The Modern Day Sales Presentation, I hope you have seen your sales process and customer in a whole new light. By turning your focus back to meeting your customers’ needs and impacting their lives in a meaningful way selling will become easy and almost effortless. Over time you will build a large and loyal customer base that will set you apart from your competition. I challenge you to look back over this series and examine each article in depth and apply it to your sales technique today.
Modern Day Selling offers the freshest new insight in jewelry sales training designed to help sales associatse achieve greater success. As a yearly million-dollar-plus sales associate for the past eight years, Brian Barfield practices what he preaches on finding success based on the core principles of trust, honest and integrity. He is a two time published author whose insight is being recognized around the world. For more information or in-store training, visit his website or email brian@moderndayselling.com.