How To Close a Sale | 3 Top Tips

How to close a sale

One of the most important elements to any business is sales.

All the hard work you have put into your services, products, branding and marketing will soon go to waste if you cannot close a sale.

The closing phase of the sales process can truly make or break the sale (obviously).

You could spend days, weeks or even months working on a sale to only see it go down the pan if not handled correctly. And this is why so many feel nervous about closing a sale; there is a lot of pressure to perform and to get the job right. I guess the right analogy to use here is that of a footballer taking a penalty in the 92nd minute of the FA cup final to win the game; if he were to score, he would be a hero! But if he were to miss, he would be the enemy of the fans!

The good news, if you want to put it that way, is that all of us sales professionals have been nervous about closing a sale in the past. I for one, can remember back in my early days of selling and being worried about everything that could go wrong if I tried to close the sale! Over time, I have come to love that feeling. It is the mini-adrenaline fuelled moment when you ask the question, which really drives me!

In this article, I want to share with you some of my top tips on how you can close more sales just by asking or leading the prospect down a certain route in the conversation.

Before we go on, it is important for me to add that closing a sale is simply asking for the sale. It does not really have to be much harder than that. I have seen and worked with great people who would work tirelessly to prospect, develop relationships, and to present perfectly but would fail to ask the prospect for the sale.

As a sales person, you must ALWAYS look to get your prospect to agree to taking the next steps along the sales process.

The Test Close

The test close is by far my most favourite and most used closing technique, and one I recommend the most. The test close is a minimal-pressure, ethical way of closing that can not only help you to increase your closing rate, but will also demonstrate high levels of listening and customer service skills too!

Put simply, when test closing, all you are doing is asking the prospect if they have understood everything thus far, and allows you the chance to test the waters to see if they are ready to be closed.

For example, statements such as:

”With everything I have gone through today, how does it all sound?” or “Does that all make sense? Is it something you can picture yourself walking away with today?”

If the prospect disagrees or responds negatively, all you have to do is to go over some points and try again. Or, if the prospect is happy you can just go ahead and close the sale.

The Supportive Close

The supportive close allows you to work closely with your prospect to discover what it will take for you to be able to close the sale. You are simply asking what it will take for them to buy from you:

”What can I do to drive the car away today?”

“Do you see any reasons why you wouldn’t work with us?”

“Is there anything I can do to get you to sign up with us?”

Your prospect will then tell you all you need to do to get the sale closed!

The Timed Close

One of the many reasons people fail to buy is because there is no urgency, no hurry and no rush. So why not put your prospect on the spot and encourage that sense of panic and urgency?

“I can only do it at this price today.”

“I only have another 2 units available at this price and there is high demand for them right now”

“The first 10 customers get access to our higher package; why not sign up now and take advantage?”

With this close, do not come across too desperate, and remain ethical at all times. Don’t just make up the urgency if there really isn’t any; your customer will smell it a mile off.

The Benefit Close

The benefit close, or the summary close as some will call it, allows you the chance to go back over the benefits (in particular the ones the customer seems most interested in) which will help to reinforce the feelings of desire and distract them from any objections they may be having. By doing so, you allow the prospect to visualise exactly what it is they are getting, and how it will benefit them.

“So to confirm, today you will be getting our most popular package which comes with the free months trial, in addition to the extra analytics support alongside the access to the VIP section of the website too! Shall we get you signed up?”

Remember, closing the sale can be nerve wrecking, but it is supposed to be. But the more you practice, the better you will get! Give these tips a go and let us know how you get on!

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