Across all types of industries, the keys for closing sales are remarkably similar. Because making sales always comes down to connecting with people, maybe it’s not so surprising that the keys are not so different, no matter what you are selling. Saying the right things in the right way will help people decide to buy into whatever you are selling. Before your next sale, consider these tips for how to talk toyour potential buyers.
Reiterate and Ask for Approval
When you close a sale, reiterate what the client needs and expects in terms that are easy to understand, but nonetheless sound confident and professional. The goal is clarity and trust. This will make sure everyone is on the same page and also reassure the clients that you’re paying attention and that you can meet their needs with your product or service. Once you have reiterated the proposal, ask the client whether you have their approval to proceed. Use your judgment in phrasing this, giving the client the opportunity to voice any further concerns or objections if you feel there may be any. Phrasing such as, “Unless you have any final concerns, I think we are ready to get started,” gives the client a chance to voice any further questions without feeling like you are trying to push them through the process.
Use the Client’s Name
This is another part of making a personal connection. When you’re making a sale, you need to connect with the person you’re talking to, and if you never use their name, it’s hard to make that connection. Show them that you are interested in them by remembering and using their name. Don’t overdo it – you don’t want to be obvious or creepy – but sprinkle in his or her name throughout the conversation.
Set the Stage for a Sale
You need to help someone think through the reasons why buying your product or service will benefit them and using imagery can help. Draw them a picture of the benefits they will receive by using what you are selling. Involve their emotions by relating the decision to other good decisions and positive things that have happened to them when they said yes in other circumstances.
Speak in Simple Terms
As the expert, you have a lot more information than your clients do about what you are selling. You may, in fact, have much more information than they need or want. If you bury your clients in facts and data, trying to demonstrate you know what you’re talking about, chances are you’ll lose them in your explanations and technical jargon – and also lose the sale. Keep what you say simple but don’t oversimplify. Don’t show off your knowledge base or your big vocabulary. Find accurate but succinct ways to describe the benefits of what you sell. Relate your products or services to things your clients are familiar with in order to help them make the connections. Speaking simply and directly will help you win more trust than a cascade of knowledge will.
Be Funny
If you can get your clients to laugh, you have a better chance of making sales. Don’t go overboard, especially if you are not sure about your comedy skills. But simple jokes and light-hearted stories can help to make potential clients feel comfortable and relaxed, which leads to more openness and more willingness to close a deal.
Ask One More Time
Even if a client has said no, finding ways to ask one more time can help you close sales. This doesn’t mean a straightforward or blunt repetition of the question, “Do you want to buy my product?” It means finding a way to come back around and negotiate from a different position, to introduce further information or cast the sale in a different light, and then ask again if the client is interested.
Be Sincere
Nobody wants to feel like they’re being deceived or as though they aren’t important. Warmth and sincerity are important keys for making sales. If clients can believe you actually care about their needs and interests, you have a greater chance of making a sale. If they believe you don’t really care about them, just about selling them something, they have no reason to buy from you. Even if they need the thing you’re selling, they won’t be happy about buying it from you if you don’t project a caring attitude.Take a genuine interest in the people you sell to, be sincere in your words, and you will close more sales.
Be Positive and Smile
Finally, no matter what you say, you need to be positive. Negativity doesn’t close sales. If the buyer is negative, adding your negativity will only sink negotiations completely. Remember the old saying, “You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.” Being positive can win someone over, even if they are skeptical or negative to start.
Smiling is one of the key ways to project this positivity to other people. Practice being able to say anything with a smile, even how to disagree with a smile. It will disarm people and demonstrate that your disagreement isn’t personal and can be overcome. Smiles make sales happen.
About the author: Justin Brown is an insurance marketing expert working as the Marketing Content Manager for the Bankrate Insurance companies NetQuote, InsureMe, and AgentInsider. He provides insurance agents and risk management advisors with the latest news and marketing tips to help them grow their business.
