The hard-selling closing techniques of the past may be dead, but the need to ask for commitments from the client is not. Here are some powerful tools to help you ask for commitments that lead to the close without violating your client’s trust.
1. Know your outcome. People often mistake activity for outcomes. A sales call is an activity, not an outcome. Before every sales call, decide what you want the outcome to be and remember that it must always be a commitment that moves the sale forward.Draw up a list of the stages of your sales cycle with all of the commitments you need to move a deal from the beginning to final closing event. Refer to this list before every sales interaction so you know which commitment you intend to obtain.
2. Use natural, honest language. The best closing language is other-oriented, not self-oriented. By asking for your client’s business directly, you demonstrate that you truly want to work with them and are likely to be just as direct in helping them achieve their goals.
3. Ask for commitments after creating value. Closing is natural and easy as long as you have earned the right to ask for and receive it, which you do by creating value during each and every sales interaction. Make a list of the benefits the client will receive by agreeing to move forward in the sale. You will gain commitments more easily when you link the value you create during one sales interaction to the value you will create in the next interaction.
