(By Loyd Ford) Oh, you’ve heard of these 5 sales closes. Of course.
In fact, you may have more you can add yourself.
- Happening Now….Only Close. This is all about offering an immediate benefit for purchasing now and/or framing the opportunity as having an immediate expiration.
- The Assumptive Close. Of course, this is the positive close where you essentially assume they are buying. Those most skilled in using this close make it easy for potential clients to say yes before they know they’ve said it.
- The Question Close. This is essentially developing questions to probe the client and encourage them consistently toward….buying. Often done from the beginning.
- The Soft Close. This is a way to show a potential client a benefit of buying your product and asking a question to see if they are interested. Perhaps introducing a benefit that is a result of your product and tempting them to engage.
- The Take Away Close. The idea here is, if you take it away, the client may likely start to chase you.
If you are a seller today, you should be encouraged to think of yourself as being simply like a lawyer or doctor. This is your practice. It takes practice to become a really sharp expert. Not just finding closes that work well for you and becoming better and better at using them, but becoming a stronger cold caller, encouraging referrals consistently, and touching potential clients in a variety of ways again and again with value for them as a regular part of your sales process.
The best sellers are consultative. They literally become valuable themselves to the clients they serve.
No matter if you use these 5 closes or add more, the closes are not the most important part. Of course, being able to close is important. You want to constantly learn ways to close and become better using them. Knowing how to close in a variety of ways matters. But the most important part is practicing consistently the habits that make you valuable to clients and becoming comfortable and skilled at using different closes to get regular results. And it’s critical that you practice your listening skills and learn when and how to react when opportunities arise in your conversations with potential clients and buyers.
Stop thinking about being in sales and think of this career as a consultative marketing practice where you solve problems. Commit to your practice and you will close more sales.
Loyd Ford is a Multiplier who works with local radio to expose them to more revenue and higher ratings with his company RPC. Reach him anytime. 864.448.4169 or [email protected]. Read Loyd’s Radio Ink archives here.
