In real estate, life insurance, mutual funds, or even student recruitment, closing a deal is what keeps professionals in these industries alive. Successful salespeople are not those who know a lot about the company and the product alone, but those who have a way with people and have a ready heart and ear to listen. As a result, successfully sealing a sale means a lot of know-how, dedication, and a knack for getting along with people. Here are some tips on how to successfully seal a sale.
Do Your Research
Before you even start talking about the product, the first thing you should do when meeting with a prospect is to do your research. You do not need to know everything about your prospect, for all you need to know is his/her context, in relation to the product you are selling. For example, for insurance, you need to know how much the prospect is earning, and how much money he/she needs to survive until retirement, so he/she can be insured enough to be protected when bad things happen. You do not need to snoop around to know your prospect, for a couple of casual (but not too informal) questions will do.
First Impressions Do Matter
However, before you even meet with your prospect, or before your prospect comes to you, in the case of client relations personnel, it is important to make a good first impression. We may not like it, but people do judge others based on looks alone. Sometimes, salespeople don’t need to say anything to turn off any potential prospects, due to lousy appearance. So, be neat in the way you dress, always smile, never make it look to potential prospects that you are tired. Also, don’t make yourself look desperate, for people sometimes get suspicious if they know someone is trying to sell them something. However, the first impression is only first, so make sure you build on a good first impression.
Be Open to Rejection and Objection
Another thing you need to remember when trying to close a deal is to be open for rejection and objection. Remember, prospects may reject your pitch because they feel they don’t need the product, or are worried about cost. However, the situation will be a bit better if prospects have objections, since they merely want to know more about the product and how it will fit their needs. What you should do in this case is to address their concerns, answer any questions, and make them feel the product is the solution to their needs. In cases of rejection, don’t take them personally, but use rejection as an opportunity for learning. After all, even the best salespeople make mistakes from time to time.
Finally, Focus on the Product as a Solution
Finally, the most important thing you need to remember is to present your product/service as a solution to your prospect’s needs. It is never advisable to mention the price before the product, since mentioning it will turn off the prospect for it causes the prospect to look at the alternatives.
Instead, focus on how your product can solve the needs of your prospect and his/her return of investment. So, keep your mind on the product as the solution, and as a result, when the prospect asks about the price, this means that he/she is already interested in buying from you!
In the end, even though following these simple tips will not remove the probability of rejection, they can still help you turn more prospects into clients. Thus, your product/service will be the answer to your clients’ needs!