Great sales closing questions are often what get taught in sales training courses.
And that does part of a job in elevating the mediocre sales person’s skill set…
And the sales rep feel more able to cope with the bit of the sales call they genuinely fear the most…just asking for the business!
Closing is the final piece of the jigsaw.
The questions that many second rate sales guys forget to ask (read: wimp out of asking!)
Great Sales Closing Questions means you increase the chances of getting an order – RESULT!
It also means being able to close quickly, and being able to close the sale at the price you want.
And because it’s a smart close, there is less chance for the prospect to shop around, or your competitor to get lucky and hit on the prospect before you’ve got your paper work in order.
Closing a sale is just a logical series of steps, and a final question.
Sorry I can’t make this more complicated for you.
After all…get it right and you net a customer.
Get it wrong and….
The worst?
The buyer shares with you any objections they may still have.
Or maybe you get a deferred decision date.
Perhaps you learn more about his buying process or the internal decision making…
That’s not a ‘fail’, that’s a ‘Win’ because you learn more.
The more you know, the more you can craft a compelling close.
Grasp the Closing Opportunity!
Great sales closing questions are the ultimate win-win questions, saving you time, money, stress and a flaky sales forecast!
Not everyone asks great sales questions, mainly because they’re too busy sales broadcasting, selling by rote, not engaging brain but very much enjoying the sound of their own voices…
Or they simply too afraid to ask…
Or they think the buyer won’t want to answer
And a million other excuses!
Is any of this relevant to you?
You get to the end of a sales pitch and you promise to send a proposal?
Or you think you can’t close because you need to get prices? (Rookie Mistake 101)
Or you want to end on a good note, and that means not asking an awkward question before you leave?
Even, you don’t want tp appear desperate.
Not true….none of them.
What Do Great Sales Closing Questions Look Like?
Great question – thanks, glad you asked (see what I did there?)
I like the direct approach, but here’s a stages approach for you.
Let’s look at trial close questions and then final close questions
Great Sales Closing Questions: Part 1: Trial Close Questions
You can put these into your own words or use verbatim, your call…
- What’s the best thing you’ve heard about our product/service today?
- What’s the worst?
- What were the highlights of our service as far as you’re concerned for your business?
- How as your perspective changed during our discussion in terms of how you might use this solution in your business?
- What’s the biggest take away from what we’ve discussed today?
- How do you see this working for your business?
- If you were to have to sum up the biggest benefits for your business in using this product/service, what would you say they would be?
See, all very conversational, all very open, no hidden agenda, just asking the buyer/prospect what his thoughts are…simple as.
These questions won’t even get you in trouble…
Yet, some sales people, still fail to ask these great sales closing questions.
Those sales people will fail for three reasons:
- They forget to listen to the very important information they get back from these questions…pure gold
- If they do listen, they listen with the intent to reply, when in fact much of what comes back will lead you to ask more questions to get to the granular detail
- They don’t follow up the trial close questions with final close questions…
Great Sales Closing Questions: Part 2: Final Close Questions
Straight to business, at this stage the prospect knows whey you’re sat there. He knows you’re not just there for coffee and a place to keep warm (right?!?)
Ask:
- So, from what we’ve discussed today, when shall I expect your order?
- Based on what we’ve discussed today, will you be giving us your business?
- Can you see any reason why you and I won’t be working together?
You can amend the language however you see fit, but I like this format.
Short questions, direct, no ambiguity.
And most importantly, they are so direct, you’ll give the buyer no time to scramble any creative story…you’ve more likely to get a truthful answer.
Yes or No…which is what you want.
A yes is great.
A no is not a disaster…you can start to re-qualify
Next Step
Hopefully you’ll try some of these out.
Trust me, sometimes buyers are left totally confused by many sales people who go through a great, detailed and considered sales pitch but fail to ask for the business.
Don’t be the Confusing Sales Person, the Sales Loser who could have been a Sales Closer. Had they just asked for the business…
When the worst that could happen is that you get an order, or you learn, where’s the bad news?
So, 10 Ways to Recognise a Great Sales Closer
- Listening – they listen hard, make notes and process information rapidly
- They ask questions, lots of relevant questions that dig deeper, that clarify and move the conversation along
- Skilled in identifying key pain points, they do comprehensive fact finds
- A good closer works like the very best Medic in that examination comes before diagnosis always, and they never write a ‘prescription’ without doing a full sales discovery
- They know what type of questions to ask when – when to use open questions, confirmatory questions and closed questions.
- A good listener is often mistaken for a mind reader, a good closer ‘could’ finish their prospects sentences, but they don’t
- Rejection doesn’t scare them, they welcome the rejection because they know that the rejection is often the first sign that the prospect is starting to filter information
- They also know that the first ‘no’ is not a final ‘no’, the second ‘no’ is not a killer either!
- A good close happens in the first 30 second, and in total, in a reasonable length sales process there will be a selection of maybe 20 small/trial closes and 4 or 5 major closes…a champion closer works with these events proactively to help them sell and focus the buyers mind on the commitment he wants them to make.
- Good sales closers embrace the process, and divorce themselves from the final outcome.
- Great closers smile when they ask for the business.
- They understand influence, persuasion BUT more importantly they understand how to build a business case that’s loaded with value so that the buyer WANTS to say ‘YES’
But you know what?
There is a better way.
It’s better because it’s an easier way.
A way to close sales that high performing sales professionals use all the time.
A way that means those high performers don’t rely on just those great sales closing questions.
Do you want to know what it is?
Just hit the link Tell Me What High Performing Sales People Do to Close More Sales
You can also sign up to The Advanced Business Achiever – weekly sales training directly in your inbox every week.
And, if you’re looking for some hard hitting B2B sales training – you can call or email – 0779 002 1885 or carol@mortonkyle.com to discuss our tailored sales training solutions
If you’re looking for a sales improvement and B2B sales training course to embed in your business, then check out TurboCharged Sales and The Sales Improvement Workshop.
Remember: Great Sales Closing Questions are the final push of the boulder you’re carried all the way up the mountain.
Don’t put in all that effort and let the boulder smash down the mountain when you’re so close to glory…
Just ask the great sales closing questions…knowing that you’ve done enough work to help the prospect understand the real value in saying ‘YES’!
What are your biggest sales challenges?
0779 002 1885 / carol@mortonkyle.com to get in contact.
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