MYTH ….. Reality….. or FICTION?

I’m in this coaching FB group and I came across this post, pretty recently I might add.

What grabbed my attention was the 8 minutes of silence…followed by 24 comments of people going for 9 mins or longer!

REALLY…. Is this a joke?

Obviously not… as they were posting their thoughts while they were still on the phone with the opportunity.

Don’t believe me, check the images below…

Look, I do believe that you need to STFU after asking for the Visa or MasterCard question, however, I never let the opportunity go for any longer than 30 seconds.

Yes, they need to think about all the information that has been given to them, as everybody processes information differently. Some can make a quick decision while others need to process the information a little longer, but we are not here to see how long we can each hold our silence….

IT’S not a competition …let’s have some respect for people.

It still flabbergasts me when I re-read these posts.

And yes, Silence is Golden ….. but it can become like lead metal and sink your sale.

Let’s put the shoe on the other foot (the opportunity’s perspective).

Were they waiting for you to continue?

Did they think the call dropped?…..or that you had a heart attack?
Look maybe you asked for the next step…

I.e. “With all the information that I have spoken about today and how we can help you, how would you like to start… we take Visa or MasterCard.”

If they are either sitting on the phone or in front of you in silence…give them that time to respond if they don’t respond …ASK THEM “What’s on your mind?”, OR “What are you thinking?”, “How can I help you make the right decision?” “….What is the reason for your hesitation….. (First name)?”, “what’s stopping you from taking a necessary decision?”.

Don’t be scared to ask them.

It’s called “prompting”, take the control back from them, get them talking about what’s on their mind.

You won’t lose the sale… I promise you.

Because if you are one of these people who are waiting on the end of the phone for up to 10 mins, who are you kidding….. definitely not the prospect, you are the one who is losing out…

YOU’RE LOSING THE SALE!

Close the Sale

Closing the sale or asking the prospective customer to hand over their money and complete the purchase is where 99% of all salespeople fall short. 

You can do everything else 100% correctly – establish rapport, understand your prospects needs, wants and fears, communicate the benefits of your product or service – but if you get to the end of your presentation and don’t actually ask your prospect to buy – you’re going to lose the sale. 

This is your opportunity to be different and stand out. It’s in the  “close”,  where the exceptional salespeople show their worth.

If your prospective customer has made it through your entire presentation and sales process – they WANT you to ask them to buy! 

They’re simply waiting for you to close the deal and start the process. 

Get comfortable enough with your process that closing the sale just becomes another step in the process that you will do naturally, and be prepared with more than one type of “close” so you can pick the method most likely to work in every situation.

Observe Buying Signals

As you are talking to a prospective customer, watch for buying signals. 

Many salespeople make the mistake of continuing their presentations or descriptions of the product or service long after the customer has shown they are ready to buy. 

You can actually talk a prospective buyer out of the sale if you miss their buying signals – so watch carefully, learn what buying signals look like, and begin to close the sale as soon as you see the prospective customer is ready.

Ways to Ask for the Sale

There are a few ways that you can attempt to ask for a sale. Knowing how and when to use each one, it really comes down to what you feel comfortable with,  which can help you close more sales.

But it is of existential importance that you ask for the sale. If you don’t, you don’t have it. It is that simple.

One of the most successful closing techniques is the “Assumptive Closing” method.

What’s the assumptive close? 

It’s a sales technique where you act like the prospect has already decided.

Here are some examples:

“When should we get started on implementation?”

“What delivery date would you like?”

“Which [package, tier, bundle] are you going with?”

“Send me [X financial information] and I’ll get the paperwork ready now.”

“Sign here and we will get you started”

“How would you like to move ahead?”

“When would you like to move ahead?”

“Shall I/we book some time in to kick this off?”

“Shall I make the arrangements to get this ordered?”

“Shall we bill (name of prospect’s company) or in your name?

“Do you want to receive statements By email or to a registered address, perhaps the accountant”

Practice your closing methods until you know them all by heart and can use them just as comfortably as you would any other aspect of your conversation or sales process. 

Remember to keep it SIMPLE – if you confuse your prospective customer, they will not buy.

 A good rule of thumb is to imagine your prospects are six-year-old children – and make the closing simple enough that even a six-year-old child would understand. 

Even the slightest confusion can lead to distrust in your prospects, so this is an important skill to master.

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