Help! My sales people can’t close sales

“My sales people are not closing sales” is the most common complaint we hear.

The biggest cause for people not being able to close sales it not the close itself. It often starts at the beginning of the sales call.

Sales people need to be able to properly understand client’s needs and discuss possible solutions that meet those needs with the relevant products and services before any close can take place. Once this has happened they can close the sale but not before. If a sales person cannot meet a client’s needs with their products and services then it is a ‘no sale’.

Some people also expect every sale to be closed in one meeting.

Closing a sale as a ‘done deal’ in one meeting can happen in a number of industries, particularly in simple sales, however with more complex sales it often takes more than one meeting to progress to a final close.

In some instances, however, even simpler sales are experiencing a lengthening to the sales cycle. We are seeing a trend with clients not wanting to make hasty decisions and needing to take more time to make informed decisions. Does this mean if they do not say ‘yes’ in the first meeting you have lost a sale? No, not necessarily. If you need to go an extra stage or two, make sure you get an agreement on the action that moves the sale forward to the next logical stage.

Where sales people often fall down in the actual closing of a sale (that is assuming they have understood the client’s needs properly as stated above) is that they do not gain agreement from the client as to which solution is the best for them. They then fail to gain commitment from the client to move forward with the sale to a close.

In ‘pressure selling tactics’, sales people are conned into believing that if you don’t get the customer to sign there and then you won’t get them back or get the sale. In most cases, this is simply not true. Some people like to take their time to make a decision and forcing them to ‘sign’ will actually turn them away. The desperation displayed by sales people in these situations can be very unappealing and can be a turn off to prospective clients. At worst this behaviour becomes bullying on the part of the sales person, often at the expense of less assertive, confident customers.

Another common misconception is that you need to ‘ask for the sale’. If you have done a good job asking questions to establish needs, properly matched your solution to these needs, and then asked questions to check that this is what the client wants then closing the sale is easy. We should remember it’s the client who makes the buying decision and the sales person who facilitates the process.

Top performing sales people stop asking questions here and they start telling the client what they are going to do for them. They take charge and ownership of the process. They are confident but not arrogant. The client should, and usually does, feel supported and happy to proceed.

If you are in more complex sales and have several steps in the sales process, you need to make sure that at each stage you get a commitment to move to the next logical stage of the sales process. This is a close as well – a mini close that leads to the final close.

So, what’s stopping people from saying “Okay, this is what I will do for you. Let’s get started.”?

1. They are being told that they need to keep asking questions.
2. Many sales people do not know how to conduct an open, transparent, purposeful conversation. They do not take charge and they make too many assumptions leaving the client, and themselves in no man’s land.

If you are direct and upfront, and confirm what has been discussed and take charge of the situation, then real viable clients will move with you and get started. Those who are tyre kicking will show their true colours and bail out.

This assertive, positive approach makes no assumptions. Both parties are clear about what will happen.

Closing the sale should be the easiest part of the process if you do everything else right.

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Sue Barrett is a Thought Leader on 21st century sales training, sales coaching, sales leadership, sales capability and sales culture. She practices as a coach, advisor, speaker, facilitator, consultant and writer and works across all market segments with her skilful team at BARRETT.  They help people from many different careers become aware of their sales capabilities and enable them to take the steps to becoming effective, and productive when it comes to selling, sales coaching or sales leadership. Sue and her team are your first and best reference when it comes to forging out a successful career as a competent sales professional and leader . If you have an idea, capability, product, service or opportunity that can benefit another and make their life better in some way then Sue says you need to be able to sell – ethically, honourably, and effectively.  To hone your sales skills or learn how to sell go to www.barrett.com.au.