That one closing question you’re neglecting to ask
Letās take Dave as an example. Dave is a seller who is wrapping up things with Bob in a phone call. Dave gave an amazing demonstration but Bob is being wishy-washy in his response and told Dave that he is still going to analyze internally first before moving on with Daveās deal. Now, Dave is upset, furious, and blurted out some things.Ā
Dave could have done things differently by asking follow-up questions. Seeing it from Daveās perspective, his outburst was understandable. Heās been working the deal for three months and he thought that he already got everything right. He already told his manager about it and heās pretty excited for it to officially close. He needed this sale to achieve his quota.Ā
If he remembered to ask the closing question that many neglects to ask, the result would have been different.Ā
āWould I makeĀ this purchase based on the same information I know if I were the buyer?āĀ
Based on the things youāve shared with the buyer, would you have made the decision to make the investment? Many take this for granted because oftentimes, salespeople are shortsighted.Ā
Focusing on your pipelineĀ
Having focus is a great characteristic, however, focusing on the wrong thing isnāt. As salespeople, we need to shift the focus from ourselves and our pipeline, rather, we need to focus on our clients and our prospective clients.Ā
Going back on Dave, he was too focused on himself and the need for impressing his manager. He is a rising star in the company and the deal would be 25% of his quota. Everything was about Dave. Sometimes, a similar thing happens to us.Ā
We tend to focus on ourselves and fail to show empathy toward the clients. Stephen Coveyās The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People states that the fifth habit of becoming effective is to seek first to understand then to be understood.Ā
The outcome would have been different if Dave asked himself the closing question mentioned above. Dave was in a difficult situation. He just got promoted and heās now in the big boyās league, this means that heās afraid. The thing is that all these situations that Dave is facing donāt help his potential client solve his problems. Bob has nothing in him to consider shifting to Daveās offer. If you were Dave, you would have gone a different path. Instead of looking at your fears, you instead looked at what Bobās company needs.Ā
Perhaps youād look at some studies and do some homework about Bobās industry in relation to the software that youāre selling.Ā
Reality in salesĀ
Not every deal is going to close, thatās a universal fact in sales. But when you try to ask the closing question mentioned earlier, you wonāt get in an awkward situation. Take for example the close rates, itās the sales repās number of prospects to the number of deals converted. A 25% close rate means closing 10 deals out of your 40 prospects. The average close rate is between 15%-23%. Some people have higher close rates and others have a lower close rate.Ā
The close rate would increase if we work a little more in asking the tough questions. Salespeople must analyze the situation from the buyerās standpoint. You can start the conversion process after every call, ask the buyer the same closing question, āBased on what you know, do you feel comfortable moving forward with us to a demonstration?ā āBased on what you know, do you feel comfortable moving forward with us toa proposal?ā Do this in every step of the process.Ā
The closing question you’re neglecting to askĀ should be given priority now. Ask yourself and the buyer that question. Find more of your ideal customers and have more meaningful conversations with them. Donāt be afraid to ask questions.Ā
āOne Major Closing Question You’re Neglecting To Askā episode resources
Go ahead and hit me up for concerns and questions about sales. You can also reach out to me via LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Use these practical sales tips and let me know how it works for you.Ā
This episode is brought to you in part by TSE Certified Sales Training Program. Itās a course designed to help new and struggling sellers to master the fundamentals of sales and close more deals. Sign up now and get the first two modules for free! You can also call us at (561) 570-5077.Ā
The episode is also brought to you by Sales Live Miami. Itās an event put on by a group of friends and itās designed to help sellers and sales leaders improve their sales game. Itās going to be this November 4-5, 2019 in Miami, Florida. Come and join us. You can find more about this event on The Sales Evangelist website.Ā
We want you to join us for our next episodes so tune in to our podcast on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, and Spotify. You can also leave comments, suggestions, and ratings to every episode you listen to.Ā
Read more about sales or listen to audiobooks at Audible as well and explore this huge online library. Register now to get a free book and a 30-day free trial.Ā
Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS