Trial Close and Sell like the Pros

Closing or ending the sales interview is end of the sales process. We traditionally close the deal at the end of the meeting. We use proven methods to get the prospect to yes after going through the steps of the sale.

My first sales book was the textbook from the Dale Carnegie Sales Training class that I attended weekly. The training was excellent. Looking back now, things have changed in sales. New tools, new systems, new products and services have revolutionized business, industry and the selling of product and services. In spite of the changes, professional salespeople still follow systems that generally end in a face-to-face moment when the salesperson asks for the order. That has not changed in one hundred years or more. The reality is that if you don’t ask for the order you are unlikely to get it.

The textbook was “The 5 Great Rules of Selling” written by Percy Whiting. Percy went on the road and sold securities in 1918, I believe. He wrote the book after an illustrious career in sales and after his appointment to a leadership position in the Dale Carnegie training organization.

The 5 Great Rules of Selling are:

1. Attention
2. Interest
3. Conviction
4. Desire
5. Close

Note what happens at the end.

Glengarry Glen Ross (1992) is my favorite sales movie. I don’t care much for the profanity. I guess it ads to the intensity of the movie. There is a lot to learn from the story. Much of it is overdone, but the reality is that selling is a tough business. There are too many great snippets from the movie to share with you. The best part is when a character (Alec Baldwin) conducted a sales meeting at the office as a favor to his friends that own the company. The presenter was a top sales producer. He didn’t have any respect for the sale force. It was a rough sales meeting for all involved, but the reality of selling was accurately presented again.

In the story, the sales process was noted as

1. Attention
2. Interest
3. Decision
4. Action

Get it done at the end.

 

There was another acronym that he presented during the meeting. The message is not new. It is well known in sales. It is an important truth that sales professionals follow when practicing their profession.

A. Always

B. Be
C. Closing

What does always be closing mean? How can you always be closing without irritating the prospect and blowing up the deal? The answer is simple. A easy and effective way to always be closing is to learn and practice the technique of trial closing.

Trial closing is done during the sales interview, not at the end. As you work through your sales process and ask your prospect if what you just said made sense. Ask if they agree with the value of each point. If they say yes you can go on to the next point. If they say no you can stop right there and explore why is isn’t important or of no value to the prospect.

There are a couple of really good reasons to practice trial closing. The first is that by trial closing you take and maintain control of the process. You are in the lead chair. If one or two points of your presentation don’t resonate, put them away and focus on others that do. The next good reason to trial close is that trial closing makes the end game easy. If your prospect continues to say yes and agree during the course of your meeting, it is darn hard for them to say no. If they do, just pick up your notes and confirm all of the good points that they have agreed to and go for close again.

Here are some simple examples that you can adapt for trial closing your products or services. Let’s use selling a car as an example.

(You) “I see that you like the red coupe. It really looks good. Can you picture yourself driving with your best girl, the top down and your favorite songs on the stereo?”

(Prospect) “Yes I can.”

(You) You might not know this, but your coupe is delivered with an unconditional 100,000-mile warranty. That is the best warranty in the business. You can rest easy that you won’t be paying for repairs for the foreseeable future. Do you see and appreciate the great value in having this extended unconditional warranty?”

(Prospect) “Yes I can.’

(You) I gave some recent industry data that shows your coupe has one of the top five-resale values in its class. That means if you decide to sell your coupe you will get a high market value for it. That makes your purchase of the red coupe financially sound. Do you agree?”

(Prospect) “Yes it do.”

If you have sufficient product knowledge, understand your competitive advantages and have a qualified buyer in front of you, getting to yes by practicing trial closing makes the whole sales event easier for both you and for them.

In reality, if I have a prospect that has told me yes to multiple trial closing questions I am inclined to just ask for the order.

(Me) ‘Based on what you have told me, let’s do the paperwork and get you your new red coupe.”

(Buyer) “OK.”

Based on my example, I have just completed a true sale, a value proposition for both of us. The buyer got the car of his dreams with assurances about warranty and resale value. I got money. We are both happy.

I love to sell. I hope that you do too.

The Just Ask Close

Just Ask For The Order

 

At the end of your sales call there is only one thing to do. Ask for the order. There are easy methods to get your prospective customer to yes.

 

There is a method that I refer to as the little decision closing technique. Other ways to close the sales are the act now close and the assumptive close. These tactics can stand alone or can all be used to complement each other during the tender period as you bring your sales call to an end and solicit positive purchasing decision.

 

I am making an assumption that during your sales presentation you are selling a product or service to a prospect that has a need, a budget and decision authority to buy from you. If not, all bets are off.

 

That said, if you have done a good job of prospecting, qualifying and interviewing your prospect you have earned the right to ask for their business.

 

A simple observation I would like to share with you is that your prospect know exactly who you are, who you represent and why you asked for their time. If they gave you and appointment it is a very good and positive sign. I don’t make appointments with salespeople unless I am interested in their topic. My time is valuable to me. I do not waste my time meeting with people who have not won my interest before setting the meeting. Your prospect’s time is just as valuable to them as mine is to me. If they give you an appointment you are staring out in a very good position.

 

This brings me to my final suggestion to end the sales interview and win an order. I personally prefer to just ask for the order. No gimmicks, no games, no tricks, just a simple yes or no answer. If I have done a good job along the way and the prospects says no, I immediately ask them why not, answer the objection(s) and ask for the order again.

 

Here are some simple statements that you can use to just ask for the order:

 

“Are you ready to move forward with my proposal?”

“Let’s do this.”

 “I’m ready to get started, how about you?”

 “Are we in agreement?”

 

No matter how you go about closing your sale it is very important to let your prospect answer any and all questions you pose before you talk again. You will be penalized for continued chatter while closing business. Let your prospect talk. Let them answer. They will tell you yes or tell you no. Again, if they say no you get to ask some variation of “why not?” Either way, you are still in the game.

 

Just ask? Yes, it is a very simple way to end your sales presentation successfully. There was a lot of preparation and skill required to get the prospect and the sale to a conclusion. If you did a good job during the sales process, closing the sale should be easy.

 

Now, go and close a deal. Good selling.

Assume the Closing Position

The Assumptive Close

Closing a sales is a relatively easy to do if you have successfully gone through a quality sales interview with a qualified buyer. My style is consultative selling or problem solving. This style of selling is based on getting the prospect to talk about his or her needs after leading them with relevant, progressive probing questions. The objective is to get to a point where you both agree that there is a problem that you can solve for an investment by the buyer.

Closing is just asking for the order.

There are a few simple ways to get to the end of the sales process. There is the act now close, the little decision close and the assumptive close. You can use any three of these methods to close the order. They all work. Another easy way to close sales is to just ask for the order. “Will you buy from me?” also works just fine.

Let’s look at the assumptive closing method. The assumptive close is a little more nervy and tricky than the others. It can backfire if deemed to heavy handed.

The premise of the assumptive close is that all during the interview you and your prospect have agree on the problems and the solutions you have offered. You may have stopped a few times along the way to do some trial closing. “Will that feature solve this problem?” After a few or more yeses you can assume that the prospect is going to purchase and become your customer.

The tender moment when you apply the assumptive close can be played out with simple statements or questions..

 

• "Just sign here and I will get your order processed.”
• “Please write a deposit check for $100.00.”
• “What is the purchase order number?”

 

Next?

If they don’t put up a fight you have won the order. Enjoy your victory and move on to the next call. If they do object to your assumption don’t panic. Objections are a normal occurrence in sales. They happen often.

 

Handling objections is easy if you have done a good job during the sales interview.

 

• Repeat the objection to your prospect so that you have a clear mutual understanding of their concern.
• Answer the objection if you can. Use the notes from your interview to point out what the prospect said earlier on that particular issue.
• Get agreement.
• Close again.

 

If you like, feel free to upgrade your close with a few little decision and an act now value statement.

 

Earlier you told me that this feature would solve an important issue for you. Has anything changed? Good then we can move forward. Will you be paying cash or will you take advantage of our payment plan (little decision)? Place the order today and I will be able to process it and deliver your product before Christmas (act now).

My favorite sales trainer, Mark Thelen, said that no is non-yes. If you don’t win the order on a sales call you have failed somewhere along the way. It is your fault not the prospect’s fault. Learning, practicing and using proven closing methods just makes good sense and helps salespeople succeed.

 

Assume that the order is yours. You have earned it.

Good closing!

Little Decisions

Closing the sale is difficult for most salespeople while relatively easy for others. The answer is that closers have done a good job of targeting and qualifying a customer then following a proven sales process to bring the sales event to a successful conclusion. The close is just a formality of the entire process that has been expertly crafted and executed.

Closing techniques do not have to be difficult nor tricky.

In my last article I talked about the “act now” closing technique. Retailers use this tactic all of the time. They offer a reduced price or enhancement (a TV, for example) for a finite time and then encourage buyers to pull the trigger in time or lose out. In manufacturing or distribution or any business-to-business environment, offers like delivery date, pending price increase and others are used to stimulate “act now” decisions.

Little decisions are another tactic widely used to bring a buyer to yes. Little decisions give you, the seller, a clue when to bring out contracts and ask for deposits or whatever you use to finalize your sales transaction acceptance. When you ask little questions you learn what answers are go-ahead signals to move forward. When you get the correct answer to a closing question or two you have, in essence, gotten to yes. Stop what you are doing and assume you made the sale, and then move forward with the termination of your process. (contract, work order, deposit, etc.)

Here are a couple of real world examples.

You: When do you need your new software to go live?

Them: January 1^st.

You: Well then you need to get the project started immediately. Sign here and I will get the project scheduled in our system.

You: Will you need 3 or 4 printers?

Them: 4.

You: OK, just initial work order here and we’ll have the 4^th printer.

You: Will you be paying cash or financing your purchase?

Them: I would like your 24 month financing.

You: That’s fine. Let’s fill out the credit application and get your financing approved.

Are they crafty or slick? No. Do they work? Yes.

Here is my disclaimer. If you aren't working with a qualified prospect that needs your product or service it is hard to close any deal under any circumstances. You have to lead them through an interview in which they tell you their pain and you then offer your solution(s). At the end of the sales interview you get to ask for the order. You earned the right to ask. How you ask is your little decision.

If they don’t buy, you have made a mistake somewhere along the way. “Act now” and “little decision” are nice little comfortable ways to move from your sales pitch to the finish line. If you didn’t make the sale, find out what went wrong and fix it for next time.

Act Now and Save

Act Now and Save

A proven sales tactic over the years has been the “act now” close. It requires some kind of incentive to get your prospect to say yes and give you the order. The reason for “act now” can be positive or negative. Either way it works if done right.

A positive reason to encourage your prospect to act now could be a price concession or other throw in.

When I sold medical billing computer systems to doctors, I used this tactic often and it worked for me most of the time. Of course, I had already qualified them to be a customer and had gone through a discovery, presentation and proposal cycle. If I did not get the order on the spot, I was ready to deal with the prospect later. I had some flexibility in each sale so I could offer an incentive and still make a profitable deal.

Here are a couple of positive examples:

“If you act now I am authorized to include an extended service contract with your purchase. It represents a $500 value. The offer will expire at the end of the month. Act now. “

“If you act now, I can put your order in front of the others and get your system up and operational by the end of the year. If you don’t act now I can’t do it, if not, I can’t”

“I have five certificates for a free Windows 8 upgrade.  If you act now, I can give one of them to you.”

And, a few negative examples:

“If you act now you can avoid the 15% price increase schedule to take place after the end of the year.”

“Your current system is in dire shape. If you don’t act now you might lose valuable programs and data at any time. Please act now.”

“Your software will not be supported after the first of the year. To avoid potential problems and act now.”

I will leave it up to you to create some great “act-now” rationale for clients and prospects in your industry.

Give it a try

Again, assuming the prospect has the need, budget and decision making power, I recommend that you pull out “act now” and give them a call. You can do it and by doing so, finish the sales year strong.

No Water - No Beer

No water – no beer? That is about as spot on a statement as I have ever heard. I went to a national water convention a few years ago. “No Water – No Beer” was the theme of the convention. There is some profound truth here. I would like to use it as a metaphor for business and sales careers.

A Metaphor for Business Development

Water represents your product or services. Beer represents your reward for delivering your products or services. Without water there will be no beer. Without products or services that represent real value to someone there will be no reward.

Making the Bell Ring

I work with a lot of sales and business people. They are either my clients or mentees. I spend my time helping them understand and solve business development issues. Absolutely everyone I deal with is driven to make more sales and more money for their effort.  All of them believe that they have products or services that are of great value to someone. When true, my job in helping them develop their business is relatively easy. Do certain things and avoid others and you will succeed.

The Elephant in the Room

Unfortunately, it is not always that easy. When push comes to shove the reality of a lack of value and demand for their offering is the elephant in the room. They either lack an understanding of their market potential or run on their infatuation for their product or service that is often supported by their friends and loved ones who don’t tell them the truth.

Reality

I know entrepreneurs who invest their savings, max out their credit cards, mortgage their houses, and borrow money from family, friends and fools chasing a dream that, in the end, was folly. I was on a panel of sales experts at a regional business incubator. After the event, a woman told me about her new venture with an online meeting tool organization. It is a multi-level marketing sales deal. She had stated her company, invested in the franchise and asked me my opinion of her potential. I had to tell her that there are two popular websites that provide the same or similar services for free. She had entered into a business where she is competing with free competition. She didn't know. She had no idea. I was sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but you would have thought that she would have done some elementary research before spending her precious time and money.

Research…Then Research Some More

The first two questions that I ask a new client or mentee are “Who buys from you?” and “Why do they buy?” Why will people give you money? Why? Where are they? And, what do you say to them to make the sale? You just have to know that there is water to make your beer or you are wasting your time.

I Can’t Do It

I have a reputation, with many, as a skilled sales professional. I have been to the mountain a few times over my long career. I take selling dead on seriously. My reality is that, short of selling snake oil, I can’t succeed with a product or service that has no real value or demand in the market.

Take Great Care

So, my message today is to invest whatever time and resources necessary to validate the value of your products and/or services in the marketplace. Don’t buy happy talk from your family and friends. They love you and mean well. Salesperson, entrepreneur or established businessperson…you owe it to yourself to make sure you have a sufficient supply of water to make the beer. Cheers!

Your Personal Brand

Your brand, or reputation, is important. Doing a good job of branding yourself is a proven way to differentiate you from the pack. The idea is to demonstrate to customers, prospective customers and influencers that you are better than your competition. Getting the message out that you are a good person to deal with should become part of your personal business plan. You do have a plan…don’t you?

My last three posts have dealt with your education, investing in yourself and selling yourself. Building a brand is an extension of those three messages, and could be the hardest thing you do.

The best way to go about building your reputation-brand, as a professional that knows what he or she are doing, is to create content on your subject. That’s right, you know a lot about your specialty. You know more than most of your competitors and can prove it. The best way to get that message across is to…well…get the message across.

In the world of building and maintaining my personal brand, creating and delivering subject matter content was and is at the core of my personal promotion branding activities.

My business is consulting. People give me money for my advice and services. I show my clients how to grow their businesses by increasing sales. My consulting has caused a local company to grow from $1 million dollars in sales per year to $1 million dollars of sales per month in eighteen months. Not bad. And, it has made me a very busy guy. My docket is full and my cash flow is terrific.

Going from a business idea a few years ago to becoming as billable as I care to be was assisted greatly by the subject matter content that I created, published and distributed. I know my stuff, but I found it difficult to approach strangers and tell them “You should really hire me. I’m good. No kidding.” That is clumsy and uncomfortable, and not very professional. Your message is much more powerful and meaningful if it comes from a third party, or…if you tell your story in a neutral setting.

One way to establish your brand and build your business is to speak to groups. Booking a speaking engagement is easier than you think. Just get the word out within your network and the opportunities will come. You must be good and deliver a valuable and relevant message. That given, your next client could very well be sitting in the audience. Whenever I speak, I offer a free hour of my time to anyone in the audience to discuss their individual challenges. Some of them take me up on it and some of them hire me. It’s that simple. Talk about an easy sales process.

I also rely on three technology platforms to support my brand. The first is my website. The web is essentially an online brochure. I update it now and then with events and accomplishment. It also has a library of recommendations from the happy campers I have helped in the past. The web is a low cost and high performance tool that anyone can manage for themselves.

The next tool that I use is an e-mail marketing service. I create a monthly newsletter that is distributed to my customers, prospective customers, influencers and associates. I feature upcoming events, review recent events, feature a technology, a company in my network and offer myself as a speaker for the readers group or association. Every time I publish the newsletter I get a positive response or two. How hard is it to create and publish a newsletter? Not hard, nor is it expensive.

The third leg of my triad of technology tools is my blog. A blog is a place to post your thoughts on your subject to share with your audience. A blog is not an advertisement or a commercial. Your blog is a platform, to deliver relevant content to your audience that will benefit them and make them come back for more. The beauty of the blog is that the Internet really likes content. As you blog, you create a bunch of content on your subject. After so many blogs, you have enough material to publish a white paper if you have a theme and stick with it (like I have been doing with my last few posts). Over time, you should have enough material for a book. A published author is special and a proven subject matter expert.

The good news is that you don’t need to spend a lot of time on these supporting technologies. I routinely write during non-selling hours. Saturday or Sunday mornings are my prime writing times. If you are uncomfortable writing, get a MP3 player and dictate your material. There is software that can convert your dictation to text. There are also people who can transcribe your dictation for a modest fee.

So there you have it. Establish your expertise and separate yourself from the pack with content. You are an expert and you know it. It’s time to show it.