Closing Keys

From your experience what are the keys to closing? -Mikey

I just ask and keep on asking, "Is this home the one you want?" -Thomas

The biggest key to closing that I have found is closing the right person at the right time. My world is full of folks who can say no. The ones who can say yes are a rare breed. There are many people who are "no only's" posing as deciders however. Weeding through these people to the real power in an opportunity will do more to increase your closing ratio than anything else I have experienced. -jrdickens

Excellent advice! ;wi -SpeedRacer

Successful execution of the steps leading to the purchase decision. ;) -SalesGuy

Timing is key. Kids instinctively know when to ask for something. ;bg -Marcus

I agree with jrdickens. It really is in the numbers. Yes, of course you have to have skills, attitude, posture and the simple know how, but if you are not working those numbers you will get nowhere fast. -wlctrent

Agreed. The law of averages is a key factor to finding those people who close like a book.
However, the fence sitters will require a tad more effort. Rework your impulse factors during this time (urgency/fear of loss/greed/indifference) do it right, and youll throw em over that fence.

p.s. nice to find a site like this. cheers everyone. -bell_ringer

As my father always tell me, at the end of the day evaluate the objections that you are getting when you had the sales talk for that day. In that way, you will have a new weapon for the coming day.

What I always tell to my customers when I am in the closing sale already is "How do you like the payment, 50% deposit or cash?" This is just an example wherein a buyer could only choose between something that will make him buy whichever option he will choose. -encoder

I always think that the more I know about a customer and the more time I spend showing them what I've got to sell, the easier it is to close. The ones that always get me are the ones that wanna go straight to price. I spend ages haggling and seem to get objection after objection. I also reckon I only need one close as well, a fairly direct one. -marky

Whenever I've encountered this I've had the feeling of being shut "out" of the process. It's only after the customer lets me "in" that I can starting building value. -Agent Smith

We call that “High Probability Prospecting.”

When we find and make an appointment with High Probability Prospects, we shift to the mutual commitment mode. That means that everything we discuss requires a commitment. If the commitments stop coming, we stop the sales process. However, most qualified prospects go on making multiple commitments until they are ready to create the close.

Closing is not an event. It is the culmination of multiple commitments. -JacquesWerth

Great day all,

just a little zen and the art of the close...

Remember the a.b.c.'s of selling?
Always...Be...Closing...

People want to buy. They don't want to be sold.

Remember NO spelled backwords, spells ON.

The product/service should relate to the client's greed.

Allow the client the opportunity to close on themselves.

Close is a natural conclusion. -job ready strategist

You singled out "greed". Is that just a preference or is there a theory that goes along with that? -AZBroker

Great day AZBroker,

Great question. How much time do you have?

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs (original five-stage model) simply stated, illustrates man's desperate desire for Biological and Physiological needs, Safety needs, Belongingness and Love needs, Esteem needs and at the top, Self-Actualisation.
In theory if your product/service can fulfill one if not all needs, logic then dicates an increase in percentage of closings for said product/service.

Michael Coritsidis, Job Ready Strategist/Motivational Speaker/Life Coach, theory can simply be stated as W.I.I.F.M. (what's in it for me). Present a product/service that can enrich my life and I will make you rich by purchasing said product/service.

What do my brilliant co-members think? Kindly share your thoughts. -job ready strategist

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs seems to be as close to reality as is currently possible.

"What's in it for me" has the same effect but, in sales, it is actually more effective. It is a question that does not make any assumptions about benefits.

The bottom line is - how do you use this knowledge in sales? Citing benefits is a turn-off for most prospects. That is mostly because it usually takes the form of enticing Rhetorical questions. However, if you can cite reciprocal features that result in one or more of Maslow's hierarchy, then you can quickly tap into the prospects mental list of priorities. Thus, the High Probability Prospects will identify themselves, and the low probability prospects will either say "No," or express an interest, which also means "No."

Example: The XYZ production machine will provide 99% yields and 22 hours of up time per day. Is that what you want? Most Manufacturing VPs will immediately relate those features to Safety, Status and Self Actualization. Furthermore, if they have been having any serious productivity problems they will want to meet with you immediately. -JacquesWerth