Strategy for Closing More Sales

We may call ourselves consultants, marketing professionals or some other title, yet most everyone in any company is a salesperson. If you are in an office with a front desk individual, they are in sales. They are your first point of contact for your customers or prospects and they start the sales process from their first greeting. Each person in your company should consider themselves in sales.

What Type of Salesperson Are YOU?

We all have our own style of selling. Some salespeople are very laid back, hate to push and rely on their products or their relationships to close a sale. Some like to come to a meeting with lots of samples and hope something sticks, not really thinking about individual needs. Others are disciplined salespeople with a strategy from start to finish. There is no right or wrong way, but there are ways to help increase the closure rate by asking questions and learning to read customers.

One of the best ways to increase your close rate is to make sure you are selling to the right people from the very start. That is why it is so crucial to qualify prospects before getting too far into the sales process.

Do you Want them for a Customer? Qualifying is Crucial

Just today I received a call from an old customer. They had been a small but consistent customer several years ago. They would purchase employee shirts on a quarterly basis. At first, I was happy she called, but after asking a few questions, I quickly discovered they had downsized to just a few staff. She asked if I could come out with samples so they could place an order. After pressing, she acknowledged that she only needed 4 or 5 shirts and probably only annually.

Well, she’s not in our target customer sales size so I told her unfortunately we couldn’t help her.

Who is the Decision Maker?  

That’s why it’s important to know who a good customer is for you and who is not. If you feel they are a good possible customer, then you can continue your qualification process. The next step determining who is the decision maker?

I am sure we have all been led to believe that the person we were talking to is the decision maker. It is disappointing when you ask for the order and they say, “let me discuss this with my boss”, or “I am just gathering information for my boss” or even, “this is a team decision, we are just getting suggestions from our vendors.” While this can’t always be avoided, it can help if you ask direct questions in your meetings.

Ask Probing Questions

We have five standard questions we ask each potential customer in our first meeting:

1.       What type of programs/needs do they have? Are there annual programs/trade shows/trainings or other consistent

   initiatives?

2.       What types of products/printing have they done for these programs in the past?

3.       What do they like about their current vendor?

4.       What do they like least about their current vendor?

5.       What is the decision-making process? And who is the final decision maker?

We learn so much with these simple questions. I am always surprised by the answers I get about existing vendors. I’ve gotten answers as shocking as “well, I don’t really like my current vendors at all” to “I have to chase them for everything, but they’ve been working with us for so long we haven’t looked elsewhere.” Sad, but true statements.

Listen for their Pain Points

After listening carefully (and taking notes), I probe deeper until I have a clear understanding of what would be their ideal vendor partner. At that point, we discuss how that could be us.

So, think about what your clients would say about you? Do they have to chase you regularly for quotes or invoices? Are you proactive in providing suggestions for annual events? Are you responsive, creative, professional, organized, forward-thinking, on top of trends? Or would they say something less complimentary.

Understanding how your strengths can fulfill their needs makes the journey to closing the sale that much easier.

Don’t Automatically Reach for Samples

Years ago, I attended a supplier diversity day with a very large corporation. Each person had 15 minutes to meet with a buyer. I came armed with examples of our previous work and some suggestions that I thought might be appropriate. The buyer gave a brief overview and then I started asking my “standard” questions.

We spoke for more than 30 minutes and then she asked me some specific questions about experience on multi-media projects. Then she said, “if you can get me a quote and some concepts by Friday (it was a Wednesday) I think we might have a project for you”.

I was with her for almost an hour and backed up the poor people behind me. I never opened my case to show any products or examples. She later told me what impressed her most is that I wasn’t there to “sell her something”. I was there to understand her needs and see if we were a good solution. She has been a great client ever since.

So, if you want to close more sales spend a little more time determining if the company is a good fit for you, what their pain points are and then show them why you are the best solution. All before you really discuss specific products or programs. You’ll see just how much easier closing the sale becomes.