KLOZERKING:The original poster. Hopefully this might work>
BEFORE YOU EVER ARRIVE AT THEIR DOOR: You need to second guess whats going through the buyers mind, what they've discussed between themselves, what their fears are, what there concerns about price are, how much they think the job is worth, how much they expect to pay, how much they have budgeted on spending. And when you arrive you need to check what they want done AND TO FIND SOMETHING THEY AND YOUR COMPETITORS HAVE NOT MENTIONED, HAVE OVERLOOKED, AND WILL SAVE THE JOB, OR IMPROVE IT IN SOME FAVOURABLE WAY. AND MENTION IT.
NOW THEN: You need some little mannerisms, some little quirks of human behaviour that impresses Mr Mrs John Doe. Say your climbing into the roof space, stop, pull out a measuring tape and measure the roof joists, you know its 4x4 but they don't. you then say "thats genuine Russian Hardwood, its becoming more difficult to find each year". Lets say they want some stone steps built to connect ther outside patio to a lower level, stop, and say; "What I would suggest here is we face them with K9 kerbs to prevent slipping accidents in the winter", you then find the part of the job thats going to push up the bill, lets say its all that copper piping thats got to come out, stop, and ask them; "Do you want us to try and save that for you". You know you can't save it, but they don't, and your posing here as the man who went out of his way to SAVE THEM MONEY. You've now almost closed the sale and made a fantastic impression.
NOW FOR THE CLOSE, YOUR ALL SAT AT THE KITCHEN TABLE:
Your first words are: "Tell me how long have you been planning these improvements" listen then add; "I bet you will be glad to get it all over with AND ON ITS WAY TO COMPLETION" In some respects this is a dirty question, because you know full well what the answers going to be. You then do all your sums and say "Can I assume that if this price is favourable you will give us the order and your instructions to proceed. You then look at your DIARY [buy a cheap diary] and start trying to find them a TIMESLOT, you then have some meaningless discussion ABOUT TIMESLOTS, actually your testing the water.
NOW HERES THE NITTY GRITTY:
You always offer them THREE PRICES, you yourself reject the most expensive price [remember your the man who went out of his way to say them money] [does anyone want to buy this phrase, please pay at the checkout on your way out if you do] you then compare the TWO PRICES ON OFFER with him, and you close him by rejecting one of these prices. Lets say you steer him, into buying your goods. If he hums and haws you take something off the job TO REDUCE THE PRICE FURTHER, and hit him again with it. You never produce / offer a 10% deal for a decision there and then.
*Secondary points: No one in your firm ever sells anything, the words sales must never pass your lips, none of your staff are salesmen, all your staff are builders / plumbers who have been called off an urgent job to attend to providing this estimate.
*A lot depends on how many estimates the clients are getting and which home improvers arrived 1st, 2nd, 3rd. Your conversion rate should be 40%, and don't overlook the wifes influence. I can hit and have hit 99% conversions rates, with a settling down figure [due to pheumonia, mental plague or sheer hellishness] of %50. And you can always walk out, and sell somewhere else. Knowing this adds 10% to your he knows what he's doing attitude and credibilty. -Incidentally
Over the years, I created presentations for in-home selling for a variety of companies in the home improvement business. By the way, home improvement is one of the last areas of "direct selling" that has not gone the way direct selling at large has gone--namely MLM.
So tell us what you mean by "close". Are you talking about value-added kickers, price concessions or what? How about an example of what you are presently using as "a close".
Ultimately, success in direct sales always comes more from sales conversationalist skills than magic closes. -Gary Boye