Picture this: You’ve done a masterful job of engaging your customer. She loves you, loves your product and thinks it would fit nicely with her future goals. But then something happens. You lose the deal and what’s worse, you have no idea why.
I’ve witnessed thousands of sales presentations around the world and can attribute losing the deal to one of ten classic closing mistakes. Here are three of them:
1) You Drop the Price.
You lower your price, thinking, “If it’s just cheap enough, they’ll buy it.” I’ve got news for you: if you make anything cheap enough (except for air-conditioned shoes or a pet rock) someone will buy it. Why are we so quick to drop the price? Many salespeople underestimate what their product can do for their customer or, as my colleague, Adam Robertson, says, they don’t see the value and they’re selling from their own pocket.
2) You’re a Doormat.
You wait around for prospects to call you back… tell all your friends about your big deal that’s coming in any day now… and spend the commission check you haven’t yet earned. Salespeople who lack confidence say things like, “Let me know when you’ll be able to decide,” or “I’ll give you my home number, feel free to call me with any questions or concerns.” This isn’t customer service; it’s servility! Work hard to close the deal but also know when to say, “NEXT.”
3) You Answer Excuses Rather Than Isolating the Real Objection
There is a natural human tendency—one that you have to overcome—to answer customer objections before isolating them. When you resort to this behavior, you’re not addressing the customer’s real concern and won’t get the deal. As one of my trainers used to say, “it’s like trying to hit a hologram.” You keep smacking at it. You can whack it from every direction but you’ll never make contact.
Instead, try one of several isolation techniques found in my new bestselling book, Heart and Sell: 10 Universal Truths Every Salesperson Needs to Know available on Amazon here.
For a limited time, only, download a FREE copy of Chapter 9 (it’s all about closing)! CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD.
Today’s buyers won’t tolerate high pressure or false urgency. Know why your prospect is objecting. I don’t mean the made-up reason they give you, or the made-up reasons you tell yourself. I mean the honest-to-goodness real reason they put up sales resistance. Armed with this information, you can address their true concern and close more deals faster!