How to Ensure You Close The Deal

Closing the deal is not only exciting but can be quite intimidating as well. Sometimes, you get so close that you can taste the end, and then a client backs out at the last minute, leaving you wondering what happened and what you did wrong. Closing the deal isn’t rocket science, and boils down to a few simple tips that you can follow to maximize your closing potential. Here’s how to ensure you close the deal every time.

Be Honest With Clients

People are smarter than you may think and can tell when you’re bluffing or stretching the truth. Some salespeople like to stretch the truth a bit to make products or companies sound more appealing, and clients can sense this type of behavior. If you don’t come off as a genuine, trustworthy individual, you’re already hurting your sales potential.

Being honest is the key to any successful interaction or relationship, and the relationship you share with clients is no different. Honesty can take you a lot farther than just the initial sale as well; it can help foster loyalty among clients by building trust from the get-go. Have you ever had an experience with a brand or person that claimed to have more attributes than it/they did? It’s incredibly frustrating once you learn you’ve been deceived.

The bottom line is that honesty is the best policy. Whether you’re meeting clients via web conferencing or in person, display yourself and your brand as honestly and genuinely as possible; and you’ll find that potential clients are more apt to listen to what you’re saying and consider closing a deal with you. We’ve all seen the cliches about the shady businessman; don’t be that guy.

Know the Competition

Part of your market research should include information about the competition. What are their prices like? What do their similar products have to offer? Who are their demographics? Where are they marketing? These should all be questions you perform research to answer, as knowing your competition can actually help you close the sale.

Let’s say you’re pitching your brand to a potential customer and they bring up that X brand has this feature or that feature that your brand doesn’t offer. If you know absolutely nothing about X brand, you won’t be able to point out why your brand is still superior; which can potentially cost you the sale altogether.

Don’t take the risk of not knowing. Knowledge is the ultimate tool in sales! The more you know, the better you can market your products and steer customers away from the competition.

Know Your Products/Services In and Out

What’s worse than a salesperson who knows nothing about the competition? One who doesn’t know his own brand very well! You should know your brand, products, and services in and out. Every detail about them should be in your mind and ready to pull out at a moment’s notice. Customers and potential clients will ask some of the most random questions about your brand; be prepared to answer them!

There’s no surer way to lose a potential sale than by not knowing enough about what you’re selling. Clients come to you as the expert in your field and want to be sure that you know everything there is to know about the brand and what it has to offer. Don’t disappoint them!

Watch Your Words

Putting your own foot in your mouth by saying the wrong thing can be all too easy in a sales deal. You may get nervous and say the wrong thing, or perhaps you thought the client had the same sense of humor as you (but they actually don’t have one at all). You’ll want to be personable, but retaining your professional dignity is absolutely essential.

Try to stay focused on the task at hand. Don’t blurt out jokes just for the sake of filling space; if it seems appropriate, then you may joke a bit with your clients, but tread lightly. Not everyone shares the same sense of humor, and offensive jokes are generally just considered in poor taste (avoid them altogether).

There’s a fine line between being personable and trying to be buddy-buddy with a client. They don’t know you or your brand, and they didn’t come to be your friend; they simply want to know the details of what you have to offer and how it can benefit them. Approach the information carefully and professionally, and try to refrain from joking too much.

Treat Clients With Respect and Dignity

Overall, your best tactic is to treat your clients with respect and dignity. Don’t approach the situation as if you’re speaking with just another number in the books. You’re going to talk to people, not numbers.

There are people with cares, worries, jobs, families, all of the things that you value are also valuable to them. Keep that in mind when you’re trying to close the deal; it makes for a more personable and relatable salesperson.