Closing v. Trial Closing... Improve Your Results!

Closing the sale is a skill we're asked about frequently - and one surrounded by a great deal of mystery. One area of confusion that can, when demystified, result in a healthy increase in closing rates, is the difference between "closing" and "trial closing."

Closing is the act of seeking a decision, usually through the use of a direct question.

"Can we move forward?"

"Would you like to place an order today?"

Trial closing, on the other hand, is not about directly seeking a decision, but is a method of seeking an opinion - in other words, a way of testing receptivity.

"Does that sound good to you?"

"What do you think so far?"

Trial closing is an extremely important (and often omitted) component of the selling process, because it gives the seller some insight into the relative interest level of the prospective buyer before closing questions are asked.

When a seller receives positive, enthusiastic responses to trial closing questions, then he or she knows the buyer sees value in their offer or proposal and will be inclined to move forward with the sale.

Conversely, if trial closing questions are answered negatively or with little or no enthusiasm, then the prudent seller knows that something has gone off-track; needs were not properly assessed, some form of miscommunication has taken place, etc.

In this latter instance, the best track is to go back to assessing and clarifying needs, interests and priorities, and then testing the waters again with additional trial closing questions.

It's important to realize that the selling process is seldom thrown completely off-track when trial closing questions yield negative responses. In fact, the negative responses give the seller an opportunity to correct errors that were obviously made during earlier steps, and increases closing rates in the end.

Malpractice!

Defined as "...prescribing medicine or medical treatment without sufficient knowledge of the patient's condition," malpractice is an odious word.
Similarly speaking, the sin of "sales malpractice" is committed countless times each day, often with devastating consequences. Business relationships are compromised, orders are lost, time is wasted and needs are left unfulfilled because of sales malpractice.

Sales malpractice happens when sales people fail to properly assess or recognize customer needs, interests and priorities. The transgression tends to be committed unintentionally, as well-intentioned sellers plod on with ineffective pitches, one-sided sales spiels and misdirected presentations, offering solutions that don't quite fit.

Fortunately, the malady is easily avoided!

Creating and then diligently executing a customer needs assessment (CNA) plan is the answer. And, to avoid any misconceptions, the CNA must be conducted early in the selling process, and must be regularly confirmed during more lengthy selling cycles.

In addition, an effective CNA must go well beyond asking customers what they think they need!

Successful needs-assessment involves learning about what each customer is trying to accomplish; it requires thoughtful questions, focused listening, a situational analysis and confirmation of the facts.

In today's consultative selling model, all customer needs must be assessed and confirmed before any solutions are offered; no presentation can be made, no advice given, no proposal written, no quote submitted until all factors have been carefully considered.

Only then can a solution be offered in good conscience.

Selling Attitude!

"Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal. Nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude." —W.W. Ziege

Selling is a people business. People buy from people, and most often, from people that they like. But what makes one sales rep more likeable than the next? Surely all, or at least most sellers try to be likeable!

Attitude makes the difference.

A positive attitude is not only easily recognizable, but it’s catchy. Sellers who possess truly positive attitudes "assume the close." They honestly expect the best from customers and prospects, and they offer their personal best as well. They tend to react to things positively and, more importantly, tend to bring about positive reactions from others.

Christine Harvey asks a pertinent question in her book, Successful Selling. "What are the chances that your customer will be positive if you aren’t? The answer is zero."

But it’s not easy to be truly positive! Especially when so much of selling tends to be negative.

In his book Selling 101, Michael McGaulley writes, "Despite all the people one meets, selling is a lonely profession. They [sales people] may feel isolated, and not understand that selling is a matter of working through the nos to find the few yes responses that make it all worthwhile."

Successful sales people know and understand this concept — and react positively to the negative responses that they know are all part of the cycle. Many sales professionals will readily admit that they "look for the nos," because it is only then that they can actually sell something.

A positive attitude is a pre-requisite to long-termed sales success. We must first believe in our products and services, as well as in our companies and ourselves before we can expect customers or prospects to do so.

Every sales person and every sales manager should recognize the importance of developing and maintaining such an attitude within themselves and within their organizations.

A final testimonial to this discipline is a poem, author unknown, entitled The Winner. The final verse:

Life’s battles don’t always go
to the stronger or faster man;
but sooner or later the man who wins
is the fellow who thinks he can.

Key Sales Team Needs

Every sales team needs a leader - a Sales Manager or District Manager or someone who can both manage the selling process and lead the team in a consistent fashion - day after day, week after week, month after month.

This concept is very similar to one the basic principles of marketing: frequency. It is a well-known and accepted fact that a marketing message must be "heard" multiple times by prospective customers if a marketer is to gain their attention, interest, acceptance and buy-in.

The same holds true for those managing sales teams. To maximize results, to gain buy-in and acceptance of ideas and desired behaviors, the "message" must be repeated and reinforced on a regular and consistent basis.

Just like in the sales world, persistence is a key component of sales management.

Which Half of Your Sales or Management Effort is Working?

John Wanamaker once said, "Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is, I don't know which half!"

This is, of course, the reason frequency is such an important element of marketing. It is also an important element of selling and of sales management. We must be diligent in our efforts to maintain a proactive and persistent posture when selling, and we must do the same when engaged in sales management - which many believe is simply a "higher level of selling."

If we fail to interact with our customers, pospects or sales people with sufficient frequency, and if we fail to reaffirm the value associated with our products, services and our orgnaizations as well as our personal value, then we will most likely fail as sales people or sales managers.

What Are You (Really) Selling?

It is every sales person’s job to distinguish his or her products and services from those offered by the competition. And in a business world crowded with competitive offerings, an attempt to accomplish this by selling features and price most often fails.

BMW makes cars, but they talk about (sell) performance and prestige! Volvo sells safety. What are you selling?

Facing the challenges of buyers who focus on price or who "commoditize" our products and services is difficult. Success can only be achieved by selling benefits and solutions.