Cha-Ching! Tips To Close That Hot Deal You’ve Worked So Hard On

This post is also available in:

Don’t you hate it when a juicy, delicious salmon that was within your grasp for one tiny bitsy second jumps off the hook?

Yep, you’ve caught me ranting about the fishing trip I took this weekend. Need I say it was the worst in my life? Not because I got home empty-handed. That happens even to the best of us. The trip was terrible because I nearly caught the biggest bad-boy salmon this world has ever seen.

Alas, “almost” doesn’t count. The rascal got away at the last moment changing my wide grin into an ugly frown of despair. I can still feel the salt in my veins rising higher than the Empire State Building.

As I drove home a lot of lost opportunities popped in my head. The brightest ones were the ones that jumped off the hook at the very last moment, just like our big old salmon buddy.

Curiously enough, a lot of these situations would have worked out differently now, that I have more experience at “closing” deals. Perhaps I would have won a couple more of them earlier on if I knew then what I know now.

Would you like to know the secrets of the art that are destined to close that one deal you’ve been working so hard on?

Ok, prepare yourself then, because your calendar is about to get booked with more clients than you can handle!

Let the client do the talking

Ok, let’s set everything straight here – regardless of how much time and effort you’ve invested into research, your clients will know a whole lot more about his business than you do. Give them the chance to speak up!

Ask about potential obstacles that prevent a customer from buying your jaw-dropping product or service at the set price. Something along the lines of “Are there any potential reasons for us not to do business together given the selling point A and B are set in stone?” should do the trick.

An open question like that isn’t pushy nor does it seem manipulative, but it gives you a chance to settle with a person in doubt. However, above all else, an open question like that tells you more about the objections you’ll need to work around in order to land the deal.

As a bonus, it will indicate to your prospects that you are a team player and are willing to walk the extra mile in their shoes. An experience like that is priceless to a savvy client.

Don’t just show care. Show understanding

I don’t know about you, but I rarely care about what strangers think even if their thoughts involve me, my job or even my family.

A display of involvement is crucial for the sales process, sure but there is a thing that matters even more – understanding of the task at hand.

If there are any requirements from the client you were to consider, prove your understanding of their needs by offering the best fitting choice.

“From what you have said I take it that requirement A and requirement B are crucial to you at the moment and requirements C and E would make a great addition as long as they aren’t too expensive. My service/product 1 and 2 won’t do the trick in this case, but product 3 seems perfect. What do you think?” – Now, these are the words your clients would love to hear.

Why? Because of three factors:

• You were honest. You said that some of your solutions are not a great fit, meaning you are not just trying to sell whatever you have.
• You’ve shown understanding. Listing the requirements and, more importantly, such details as their priorities tell that you’ve understood the client’s pain and wish to solve it.
• You finished on an open question allowing for the client to fill in any other blanks that might be present.

Stay on point

There is a reason to why some approaches are called direct. They are simply the most optimal routes for the majority of scenarios. Sales aren’t any different.

Something as straightforward as “It looks like we’ve answered all the questions. Shall we move forward with this?” works fine-&-dandy in the lion’s share of cases, as pointed out by Geoffrey James in one of his articles for Inc.com.

Geoffrey states that such an approach is not manipulative, rarely feels sleazy and engages your prospect to just say yes without an extra push.

If the answer is “no”, however, the game isn’t over as you can turn to the first and the second trick I’ve mentioned above with ease and grace leaving your client without a single fighting chance.

Game, set, match – you’ve caught the big fish!

Are there any sales tips from your experience you wish to share with the community? Please do so in the comments section and let’s make the world a better place for small business owners together.