Ten Ways to Close a Sale Nearly Every Time

by Tom Hopkins

Once you attain a certain level of professionalism, you'll find that you're selling more. This is a culmination of a lot of things. You're learning how to find the best people to sell to. You're qualifying them quickly and smoothly. You recognize buying signs and, most importantly, you enjoy all of it. Here's how you get started on your rise to that fun level of professionalism.

1.Prepare yourself
Prepare yourself both mentally and physically for the challenge of persuading others. Dress appropriately. Give yourself an attitude check. Clear your mind of everything but what's necessary for the presentation. Review any notes or information that could be vital to the contact within a few hours of your meeting. Doing your homework will help you pass the test every time.

2.Make a good first impression
There aren't too many winning stories out there about people who overcame bad first impressions to go on and land a major account or persuade a Most Important Person to their way of thinking. Going in confident and handling the initial rapport-setting stage properly goes a long way toward winning.

3.Determine quickly if you really can help them
By asking a few simple questions, you can determine quickly if the person you're meeting with is right for your offering. By doing this, you maximize your efforts by continuing presentations only with someone who can make a decision. Making a quick determination also shows the other person the courtesy of not wanting to waste their time with detailed information that's of no benefit to them.

4.Give every presentation 110%
Never sell prospects short. In doing so, you show a lack of respect for them which will eventually become clear to them; when it does, you'll probably lose whatever you just gained with them. Don't take shortcuts. Drop a step and you may lose a sale. By giving every presentation as if it's the most important thing in your life at that moment, you show the decision-makers that you are sincere about their needs and that they are important to you. Generally, people will be whatever you expect them to be, so expect them to be vital to your overall success in life and treat them with the proper amount of respect.

5.Address concerns completely
If and when you hear a concern raised about something, don't ever glide over it. Let it stop you momentarily. Think about what was said and what you may have said or done to trigger the comment. Then carefully and thoughtfully address the concern with the decision-maker.

6.Confirm everything
Miscommunication costs each of us loads of money, time and effort every year. Missed appointments, flights, or phone calls can destroy in minutes what may have taken months to build. Inattention to details, wrong orders and wrong people handling important tasks takes its toll as well. Taking just a few seconds to confirm (and reconfirm) everything will bring you more success.

7.Ask for the decision
You have nothing to lose by asking prospects for a decision. If they're not ready to make a decision and that's what you learn from asking, great. But if they are ready and you don't ask, you lose everything. If you truly believe in the good of what you're doing, you should have no challenge asking the other parties to commit their time, effort or money to your cause or for your product or service. Hesitation here is an indication of doubt. You should never be the one having doubts when you're in the persuader's seat.

8.Tell them about others
Few people want to be guinea pigs. They don't want to be the first to try something. They want to know that others have preceded them. By sharing experiences you've had with others just like them—others who bought your product, use your service, or are committed to the same project—you give them permission to be like those others and invest in what you're selling. They'll recognize the landscape and understand that they're not going into uncharted waters. Overcoming their little fears will take you far in convincing or persuading people, especially if you can use examples of people they know.

9.Work at it constantly
The most successful people in the world rarely take time off from what they do that makes them successful. I'm not saying that you should become a workaholic, but you can certainly think about new strategies, new ideas and new people to contact even when you're lying on a beach in the Bahamas for a well-deserved rest. By living and breathing what you believe in the most, the best new ideas will be drawn to you. You'll constantly have your success antenna up and tuning in to the best information for you.

10.Be a product of the product
If you believe in what you're doing, then you must personally be a part of it. If you're selling Fords, you don't want to be seen driving a Chevy. If you sell home security systems, you'd better have one on your home. If you market freelance graphic design, your business cards had better be creative. If you can talk personally about your own experiences with your product, service, or idea, you'll win over a lot more people than if you can't.

Adapted from Selling for Dummies © 1995 by Tom Hopkins International, Inc.