During my years in business, starting way back when I first left the Army and undertook my first sales training course with a major UK-based insurance brand, it became apparent to me that closing was one of the biggest challenges most people in sales will face, equalled only by the activity of prospecting and first meaningful contact.
Closing a sale was the part of the process that seemed to be a challenge for all who had not yet learnt the important rules of selling, physically and online. It is without a doubt that this is something that causes problems for many, primarily those who would openly admit to not being a salesperson. During my years of training in sales, I always emphasised that if you are in business, you are in sales, and therefore you should do all you can to gain sales skills. Not just any sales skills but those relevant to today’s market. Your market. This will include traditional skills and those associated with online sales funnels.
My key message to you is this; the close is not something to be feared or, in many cases, avoided; it is, after all, the natural conclusion to the sales presentation. The close is the ultimate purpose of the entire process, so it is silly not to want to get to that point and get to it as soon as possible for all concerned. This does not mean cutting corners, and it does not mean applying pressure tactics either. The close is simply asking for the business, assuming you have not already been closed by the prospect by asking you for whatever it is you’re selling! I want to point out that being asked for the business becomes more likely, the better you are at presenting and providing the right content at the right time.
The better the sales presentation, the better the marketing, and the easier the close becomes. When you have closed, you can move on to the next task creating that all-important forward momentum for you and your business. The best way to close is to ensure you are talking to the right person for the right reason. To do that, you need to have given your best in all the other stages leading to this point.
The good news is that the more you work on your mindset, the development of your EQ levels, and your ability to create the right content, the easier the entire process becomes. I would venture that closing is one of those sales areas most likely influenced by your prevailing mindset.
The beauty of using the online systems linked to your main web presence, such as the automated sales funnels based around your value ladder, is that the close is far simpler to administer. There is still an art to this, and it does require practice, but this can be achieved on the job, following lean principles and the more you use the models we talk about in your content production, the more expert you will become. There is no time like now to start using this process and developing your skills in this important future-proof area of business development.