The ABC's of selling is an old adage which is an acronym for Always Be Closing. There is truth in that message. Research shows that sales reps that close more, win more. So how can you build more closes into your sales process: Trial Closes. What is a trial close, it is test questions that you ask throughout the sales cycle to determine whether or not you are actually on track and the prospect's opinion is in your favor.
I recently was speaking with a friend of mine who is a sales representative and the topic of the "trial close" came up. I think they are a very powerful tool - yet like any tool, must be used effectively to get the right results.
The trial close is a diagnostic that sales executives have to understand the prospect's opinions and perspectives throughout the sales cycle. A closed sales is defined as when a prospect decides to do business with you and executes that decision. For world-class sales professionals - getting to the close is easy. The hard work comes during the sales cycle where you are facilitating, guiding, and educating their decision process. When sales professionals do that correctly - the prospect's decision to do business with you and execute on that decision is the logical outcome. When the sales process, more importantly your prospect's buying process, is not managed effectively, the close lingers and may never happen.
In the ValueSelling Framework, our sales process is based on our prospect's buying process. At a very high level, both individuals and businesses make decisions based on some simple criteria. We know that all clients must answer for themselves, the following questions:
Should I buy this product, service, or solution?
Is it worth it, both personally and justified to the business?
Do I have the authority to act?
Am I convinced?
If any one of these questions is answered "no" by your prospect, you are likely to lose the sale. So as sales professionals, it is a good idea to understand the prospect's view and opinions on these questions throughout the sales cycle. The use of effective trial closing questions can be effective to learn the opinions before the actual close where you request a decision and action. Effectively using trial closes can help you determine where you need to invest your time and energy as the sales cycle progresses. There are a couple of techniques that can be extremely effective in this process. Asking specific questions relative to the customer's buying process can be effective -- examples could include:
Based on our discussion, do you think that these capabilities will enable your organization to achieve your business goals?
Will this solution solve your business problems?
Can you describe for me how this could be implemented in your situation?
These questions are often confirmations of what you have heard from the prospect. In addition to serving as a trial close, they also build your credibility with the prospect by demonstrating your listening skills and your understanding of the prospect's individual and business requirements. Another technique is to ask presumptive questions that enable your prospect to become a mental user of your products or services.
Once this solution has been implemented, is there enough impact to justify the expenditure?
Would you want to get started in July or August?
What has to happen for us to get started during the next 30 days?
When do you envision seeing the results?
A key to the successful trial close, is clearly asking the right questions at the right time. So keep your prospect's buying process in mind. Before asking for the ultimate purchase decision - check on their opinion along the way. Trial closes can help you better assess where you are, where you are going, and when you are going to get there!
The ABC's of Selling