A few weeks ago, I started a four-week blog series about the 4 key factors that determine a salesperson’s success. The first 3 aspects include: Intrinsic Motivation, Disciplined Work Style and Building Relationships. In our last post today, we will explore the Ability to Close the Sale.
You might have heard that selling is an art form. Well, I’d like to challenge that thinking and say it is also a science. It takes a few key aspects to be a good closer. One trait is to have a good balance of IQ and EQ. A salesperson must be able to ask effective questions that are thought provoking for the client which add value throughout the process, yet asking them in a way that helps the salesperson learn to find out how they can help their client with their solution and eventually close the sale.
At FranklinCovey we use a sales process called Helping Clients Succeed. We put our opportunities IN ORDER (see below):
The first part of selling is Opportunity Creation. This includes Initiating New Opportunities, discovering the Opportunity itself with the client, determining the Resources available and then enabling the Decision Process. Once this has happened, we determine whether we should proceed or not. If the answer is YES, then we move to Opportunity Conversion and build an Exact Solution that meets the client’s needs and make sure we help them get the Results they are trying to achieve. By being client focused and results oriented, our clients not only like working with us, they come back for more. In sales, it’s not just about the initial sale, it’s about the relationship and sustainability that makes the difference between a good sales person and a great salesperson.
If your sales force is spending very little time on inquiry and a lot of time on writing proposals, etc., then they are going to have a lower conversion rate if they would simply do the opposite. It’s natural to want to talk about the features and benefits of the products that they sell. If that is all they do well, then they are dead in the water. After they tell your clients all about your products, the next thing the client is going to ask is about your price. In today’s economy, pricing will always be a factor. If your sales force isn’t focused on results and selling value, then they won’t be closing as many sales as you would like.
Our Helping Clients Succeed sales training balances the realities of solid business thinking and a desire to build capacity for short-term as well as long-term success. This methodology is based on the work of Mahan Khalsa and his book titled Let's Get Real or Let's Not Play: Transforming the Buyer/Seller Relationship.
Learn more about the results we are helping our clients achieve by downloading this whitepaper to learn more about The Key to Sustained Superior Sales Performance. If you want to achieve new results, then you have to do things differently. Contact me today to set up a 15-minute call to see how we may be a resource to you and help you close more sales in 2012 and beyond!
Until next time,
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