To close more business, you will need to understand where you currently are with regard to your ability to close. This begins with asking ability questions. This is what we call awareness and it is critical to be aware of what abilities you have!
How would you rate yourself on your ability to close your prospect? Become aware of this and your ability to close your prospect, so you know your strengths and weaknesses in closing. To become aware of that ability, ask yourself the following key questions. Be certain to answer these questions honestly.
1) How do I rate my ability as a closer to get the prospect to a decision?
2) Am I dependent on high pressure selling techniques?
3) Have I delayed closing a prospect on a decision because I feared being too pushy?
4) Am I cultivating the right attitude to close more prospects on a ‘yes’ decision?
5) Do I visualize the prospect saying yes?
6) What would it be worth to me if I could close more prospects on a decision to do business with me?
Now, rate yourself on each of these questions. How did you do? If you gave yourself a low rating or feel your skills in these areas are underdeveloped, you are not alone. In fact, most marketers do not close most of the prospects they talk with.
Most beginner marketers, those just getting started in a direct sales business, rarely achieve an effective close, let alone even attempt to close. But what if you had the power to change the odds so you had an improved result in closing your prospects? What would it be worth to you if you could close more prospects on a decision to do business with you?
Taking Awareness One Step Further
I recommend you take it one step further and be aware of your overall sales skills, not just your closing skills but in every critical sales skill area. Understanding your sales skill strengths and weaknesses will help you focus in on proper skill development that improves performance.
Be sure to get a comprehensive sales skills assessment. Not a personality test, but a full assessment that measures sales skills aptitude, which shows you what your strengths and weaknesses are in each of the critical sales skill areas.
TIP – After going through the assessment, review and discuss the results of your assessment with your upline team leader and/or your coach.
Improving Your Skills Requires Action
One thing to keep in mind as you work on improving your skills in closing is you MUST make certain that you are doing the proper amount of action. I am not talking about the busy work, but rather the real action that moves your business forward. Remember, your action should be in front of the prospect. You will need to not only call prospects in Step One action steps, but you must do the consultations. And it is in the consultation where you will position yourself for getting more people to do business with you.
Now, when I am talking consultations, it can be a consultation, interview, or a presentation, whatever you want to call it. But it is a time where you are presenting your features and benefits in front of your prospect.
TIP – Make sure you master the Power of 45 strategy – a work smart effective strategy every marketer needs to be working consistently within their business.
Understanding the Close
As you begin your skill enhancement on your ability to close, make sure you fully understand what closing is. Simply defined, closing is getting the prospect to make a decision. This means to buy something (a product or service), to get more information, or not to buy. It is making a decision.
Most marketers have trouble with understanding closing. Most never close their prospects on a decision. They have great conversations but never get the prospect to that important decision.
Keep in mind, if you open the prospect (by prospecting and starting the conversation), where they begin looking at what you offer, it IS your responsibility to help that prospect make a decision. This means closing the prospect on a decision.
Closing is an important and critical part of the sales process. So, don’t leave your prospect hanging in an area of indecision. Get the prospect to a decision! It is your responsibility to not only learn and master the proper closing techniques but it is also your responsibility to help the prospect get to a decision.
TIP – Without using proper closing techniques, very few prospects will make a decision.
Do Not Fear Closing, Rather Become Effectively Aggressive
Do not fear closing, rather embrace closing. Know you will be more effectively aggressive as a closer if you do the prior steps that lead up to the close. This means approaching and involving your prospect through the sales process, overcoming objections, and most importantly, understanding what your prospect wants and offer a solution best fit to those wants.
TIP – Effective closing is not just about your ability to close but it also ties into other related skills such as approach and involvement, overcoming objections, qualifying, and many other skills areas, all of which affect your ability to close effectively.
Closing effectively also requires an effective aggression level. This is an aggression where you take the initiative to get your prospect to a decision. Your prospect expects and desires for you to help them make a decision.
As a marketer, especially if you position yourself as a consultant or one who has the solutions, you are in an authoritative position. You are the expert and are there to help your prospect head the direction best fit for them. Over time, your effective aggression level will improve because of your experience in the field. Just remember, your prospect needs you to help them make a decision.
However, closing will never happen if you are not in the field taking action, which means you have to position yourself through action that puts you in front of the prospect . Doing the consultation (having the presentation time) is critical.
To get the consultation or presentations, you must do Step One calls. You MUST make certain you are doing the proper amount of action. Again, not busy work but the real action. The action should be in front of the prospect. using both a 5 point strategy and a 2+ a day strategy will help you have a steady flow of interested prospects to prospect. Master those strategies.
Jeff Zalewski is a Certified Training Consultant & CEO of Direct Selling Academy, Inc., performance improvement resource. He intertwines his in-the-field experiential knowledge throughout his training and performance improvement resources. Get his CD, How to Get More Prospects Saying YES, and instantly improve your closing skills. Plus, subscribe FREE to his Direct Selling Pro eNewsletter at directsellingacademy.com
