Not so long ago, most people believed that the slicker the salesperson, the
faster the sale. Those days are gone. Today's customers are too educated--and
much too skeptical--to fall for snappy sales techniques or manipulative closing
tactics.
When it comes to closing the deal, here are five modern essentials to turn a
prospect into a sale:
Solicit customer testimonials. Whether you sell brownies or business
processes, there's one universal truth: Customer endorsement makes all the
difference. Hearing from a third party that you or your product is good tends to
open the "buy" receptors in the brain of any potential customer.
Testimonials come in both written and verbal forms as well as through
referrals among friends or coworkers. The most powerful testimonial is a
personal introduction from a satisfied client directly to a prospective
customer.
Bottom line, other voices will always speak louder than your own when
generating demand for your service or product.
Prepare the prospect. A financial planner I know is an expert at this. When
meeting a potential customer for the first time, she always has the prospect
prepare the answer to two questions: What is 1) the biggest fear the prospect
has regarding his or her money, and 2) the biggest hope for what the money will
generate?
The answers allow her to start the meeting with a conversation about the
customer's life priorities, rather than a trite, irrelevant pitch from a
self-professed financial guru. This approach works wonders because it puts the
customer where he or she belongs--engaged, alert and in the driver's seat.
Ask great questions. The questions you ask a prospective customer can lead to
more business--if you know what to ask. Great questions require the customer to
think and not just react, encourage the prospect's creativity and provide
insight into his or her greatest needs. Some examples:
- What is the greatest need in your life/business that you hope my service
or product could address?
- What's most important for you to experience from using this service?
- If there were no obstacles or budget constraints, how would you like us
to work together?
- If you could design it, what would be the result of our working
together?
- How will you measure the value of my product?
Great questions are not rhetorical or manipulative; they are authentic and
mind-expanding. You will know when you have asked a great question because your
prospect will often say, "Great question!" It's that simple.
Avoid sounding desperate. As one of my clients used to tell me, "Finding a
great customer is a lot like finding a great husband--it's easier when you don't
really need one." When we operate from desperation, others sense and react to
it.
In lifeguard school, they teach you that a drowning victim is the single
greatest risk to a seasoned lifeguard: Sheer desperation can pull a person
under. Make sure you come to a sales conversation not because you need the sale
but because you're focused on serving the relationship.
Reduce your prospect's risk. One successful business owner I know gives every
potential customer the opportunity to purchase one of two options he
provides--or design a third option. This approach allows hesitant prospects the
freedom to design the sale around the level of risk they are comfortable with.
The approach keeps the opportunity, instead of the risk, in the forefront of
the conversation. Prices can be raised and contracts extended once the value is
clear and proven to both parties. Get in the sandbox with your customers before
you charge them for a sandcastle.
Don't forget the fundamentals for turning a prospect into a customer: Sell
the benefit rather than the features, focus on your client's needs, and
understand his or her business and offer solutions.
But when you're looking beyond the basics, the five modern essentials above
will almost always deliver the results you want.