The Lost Art of Closing Sales

Most top performers in sales are good closers. But, instead of just focusing on “doing deals,” effective closers are keenly aware that they must be continuously securing smaller commitments on the way to consummating the larger transaction.

Closing ‘deals’ in sales is ‘easy’ if the customer has an immanent need, they recognize the value of your product or service, you’ve successfully differentiated your offering, and the customer believes that the return on investment far exceeds the cost. What’s not to like? At that point, all the salesperson has to do is place an order form in front of the customer and say, “Press hard, five copies.”

I talked at length about closing strategies in my first book, Secrets of Question Based Selling. This ‘final’ phase of the sales cycle should be somewhat anticlimactic, in the sense that if a customer is indeed ‘ready’ to buy, then you don’t need a magic formula or clever one-liner to wrap up the transaction. But, when the customer is not ready, that’s when an effective closing strategy can be the difference maker.

Because buyers have become increasingly skeptical toward vendors, it’s only natural that they often hesitate before pulling the trigger at the end of the sales cycle. This trepidation shouldn’t surprise anyone. Given that most customers have previously made decisions they later regret, one of the buyer’s main concerns is avoiding another bad decision or picking the wrong solution. This is the new reality that unfortunately backdrops most sales opportunities.

That’s why I teach sellers to rely on logic when closing sales, rather than anything that might seem like pleading, or hoping to ‘coax’ the customer into buying? To understand how to maximize your probability of success when closing sales opportunities, it might helpful to first understand the fallacy of older-school approaches. For example, here’s an example that you might relate to…of what not to do:

Salesperson: “Mr. Customer, what do you say we go ahead and sign the paperwork and put you behind the wheel of this beauty?”

If you were the buyer, what’s the first thought that would pop into your head upon hearing these words? For me, I’m thinking that the salesperson just turned up the pressure, and wants to close the deal right here and now. But, why should I care what the salesperson wants? I’m the one who’s going to have to live with the decision. Another popular closing question goes something like, “Ms. Customer, what will it take for us to do business today?” This salesperson is clearly trying to turn verbal screws to press the customer that it’s time to ‘put up or shut up.’

There are few times in the QBS Methodology where I recommend exact wording, as the context and circumstances that apply in one sales opportunity may be very different than the next. But there are times where specific word-smithing and precision can help a lot. How to secure commitments needed to close more sales sooner is one of those times.

I wouldn’t call it a ‘surefire’ closing technique, but the most productive closing question I know taps into the customer’s motivations to act as opposed to sounding beggish or desperate. In the scenario where you are nearing the end of the decision cycle, and you think the customer is ready to be closed, I would ask the following:

Salesperson: “Ms. Customer, would it make sense to move forward with a purchase, so you start reaping the benefits of our solutions?”

If it wasn’t obvious, I specifically asked if it “would makes sense” to move forward with a purchase. The underlying strategy here is actually pretty simple. If it doesn’t “make sense” to move forward, they will respond by saying, “No,” and then it’s pretty easy to ask more questions to find out where the opportunity really stands. On the other hand, if it does make sense to move forward, you’ve made it pretty easy for the customer to say, “Sure, let’s do it.” Either way, you now where you stand relative the opportunity, as opposed to posing a ‘do or die’ closing question where you feel like you’re just putting your head on the proverbial block and hoping it doesn’t get chopped off.

Asking if it “would make sense to…” move forward is just as viable early in the sales process as it is when you’re trying to wrap up the transaction. For example, on the initial call, if you’re able to pique the customer’s curiosity, and establish enough credibility where they might want to further explore how your solutions might align with their needs, then all you have to do is ask the following:

Salesperson: “Mr. Customer, would it make sense to get the appropriate people together to further explore your options, how they might impact your business, and review the associated costs?”

The significance of this technique is sometimes lost in its subtlety. Asking customers if it “makes sense” to do anything introduces logic into the equation, where you’re basically inquiring as to their thoughts relative to taking the next step in the decision process, which sidesteps any perception that you’re trying to nail down a commitment to benefit your own pocketbook.

As an added bonus, if the customer does agree to take the next step and get “the appropriate people together,” there’s a good chance that your suggestion of involving other key players in the conference call, Web-x, or meeting, could significantly shorten your sales cycles.