CLOSING SALES

sales trainings

What is closing sales at all? At least a dozen books have already been written on the subject. Many of them try to give the reader a ready-made recipe for closing sales techniques. Some authors describe the entire sales process through the prism of this skill. Well, why? It is impossible to explain the importance of that stage of the commercial conversation without discussing the previous steps that the seller must take in order to be able to successfully complete the purchase and sale transaction.

So if we tried to define what is the closing of sales itself, what would our definition sound like?

In my opinion, closing sales is the finalization of trade talks consisting in defining specific arrangements between both sides of talks. In direct sales, these sides talking to each others may be represented by: seller and buyer, respectively.

However, in an effort to broaden the definitions of closing sales, arrangements between the seller and the buyer may take the following forms:

-        cooperation agreement setting out all arrangements between the parties,

-        an order form setting out the conditions for purchase and sale,

-        confirmation of the transaction in the form of a specific proof of sale,

-        any other documents confirming the execution of the transaction,

provide oral arrangements confirming the purchase of sales transactions.

But, will the closing effect of the sale always be one of the forms I mentioned above? You might think, "Yes, we care most about it so that by using appropriate sales techniques and methods, we can seal the arrangements by writing down a joint agreement, preferably in the form of an order or another proof of the purchase and sale transaction'. I agree with you that the overarching goal is, after all, to get an order. In sales practice, however, it appears that closing a sale is a process of going through certain stages, most often leading to one of the above forms of finalization of conversations. 

Sometimes, however, closing the sale will be to set a common date for the meeting. This is particularly important in phone sales in the B2B industries. Before a personal meeting occurs, it is necessary to to convince the appropriate decision-maker of the need to organize it. Therefore, in telephone sales, which is intended to make an appointment, it is important that we remember that the confirmation of the date of the meeting by the customer will be at this stage of this process our closing of sales. Only after a proper phone call can a personal meeting take place. In professional telephone sales training, where together with the participants of the session we try to develop a common script for such a conversation, very often there are numerous doubts as to whether the closure can consist in set up a meeting.

And what are closing techniques? These are methods of communicating the seller with potential buyers in order to achieve specific arrangements and agreementsMeanwhile, the sales process characteristic of companies operating in the B2B sectors often consists of different elements. It is extremely rare (although possible) that a transaction can be completed via one phone. When negotiating multimillion-dollar contracts, a personal meeting is necessary, often even a few. Sometimes we can also meet with another business model, when one telephone consultant tries to arrange a meeting with the client, and another visits it in person. In all such cases, closing the sales in a phone contact will be the appointment. Often these can also be all other findings.

Let's look at another example, this time in the field of negotiations. What will be the closing of negotiations? Well, writing down a specific agreement between the sides or the findings in the form of a note will be a sign of the conclusion of a specific process of talks. In order to be able to close sales effectively, it is worth having all the helpful materials with us, as I mentioned in Chapter III of my book: " The art of selling in  practice- practical training book" Sales book  on professional methods and techniques for preparing for commercial conversations. This allows for continuous concentration on a specific sales effect.

"A seller who does not have

the right trading habits in closing sales,

leads his conversation too long"

A seller who does not have the right trading habits in closing sales, provides talks for too long. He can be well prepared, use a properly prepared script, ask open questions and use language of benefits, but ultimately is afraid to make a purchase proposal to the customer. Very often, this problem occurs in people who are not assertive and unsure.

Observing from the sidelines the way such people conduct trade conversations, it seems as if time worked to their detriment. The customer sends clear signals about the readiness to buy, where both his gestures and words confirm the great interest in the offered product, and yet there is no binding offer to buy.

I think that if I had no experience in conducting commercial training, most likely I would never noticed what the lack of ability to close sales is manifested. Designing and conducting commercial scenes, in which the participants of the training play the role of sellers, customers and observers, has given  me this opportunity.

 Rather, I have never had major problems with the use of closing techniques, because I have started my adventure with sales from the FMCG industry, where I had made some unconditional habits. After years of work, I  have just made sure that knowing the structure of the trade conversation helps us develop this not easy skill. When we realize that the final stage of the sale process is its closure, we will seek to provide the customer with a specific purchase proposal, that is, closure. I have also noticed that many sellers tend to put this away indefinitely. Most often, during the first personal visit, they do not want to make a specific proposal to the client, explaining that they will do so at the next meeting. Of course, we can say that the B2B industry is characterized by a slightly more complicated process than FMCG. However, this does not mean that we should not try to finalize sales at the first personal meeting. The earlier we make a specific purchase offer to the customer, the earlier we will receive feedback from the customer.

"The earlier we give a specific

purchase offer to the customer,

the earlier we will receive feedback from him"

Therefore, as a result of our attempt to close sales, there may be some objections that we will be able to neutralize immediately . I have often had such situations when I forgot to finalize conversations with the customer, as a result of which during the meeting the customer himself made me a proposal in the form of: "What, maybe we will place an order?" This is, of course, a dream situation, but it is possible. When I had worked as a sales representative in the food industry, I had repeatedly spoken to customers about various topics not related to the products I had to offer at all. During our conversation, the store manager was able to interrupt our meeting as follows: "Something would have to be ordered from You. What do You have to offer, at all?"  The customer seemed to have guessed that the purpose of my visit was to sell, because that's the result of my work.

In other words, in terms of the relationship between the seller and the customer, the entire sales process is much easier, and the mere closure of sales can also occur at the initiative of the customer. Most often this occurs when our entire trade conversation has been conducted in a professional way. This is the customer's proper reaction when there is a desire to buy in his head.

So what signals of readiness for the purchase can the customer send to us, which is a sign for us that we should go to the closing of the sale?

Common signals of interest and readiness to buy:

-       "What is the price?"

-       "When are you able to deliver your first delivery?"

-       "How many pieces does one bulk pack contain?"

-       "When does the promotion take place?"

-       "Have any companies already benefited from this promotion?"

-       "How much do I have to wait for the first delivery?"

-       "What is the issue of incomplete deliveries?"

-       "This product seems to be good, how much does it cost?"

-       "How many distributors do you have in my region?"

-       "What is the warranty case for your products?"

-       "What payment terms do you offer?"

-       "What sales support do you offer?"

-       "What documents do I need to enter into a contract?"

-       "What discounts do you offer for cash?"

-       "What trading conditions do you offer for new customers?"

The above customer questions should send us a clear signal that our sales order has been positively received, which can be both a big sign of interest and often a signal of readiness for the purchase. Constantly observing the customer's response allows us to determine whether the right time has come to submit an order proposal. A little assertive trader with no good closing skills will be afraid to finalize the conversation, unnecessarily losing his and customer time.

More information about closing techniques you can find in book: "The art of selling in practice-training guide book" was written by Krzysztof Czupryński Sales book