Sales

Q. Due to the current climate, I want to close as many sales as possible. Any secrets?

A. There's no magic to closing sales. Just like many overweight people who are constantly looking for a pill or the latest fad to help them lose weight, many salespeople are just not doing the hard work necessary to get the results they're looking for. The closing process is particularly stressful for new, inexperienced or poorly trained salespeople. For professional salespeople, it's a natural and an easy end to a great series of sales calls.

I truly believe salespeople lose sales for two reasons: They did not build rapport and trust with their customers; or the product/service they suggested did not make sense to the customer or provide a better solution.

Although there's no magic to closing sales, here are a few tips to help you make the transition from stress to success:

- Ask yourself this question: “Why do I buy products and services?” You'll find that you buy things that make your life better (faster, smarter, more productive, etc.). Simply put, salespeople need to remember their potential customers are making buying decisions in this same exact way.

- When people choose a product or service, they are influenced by salespeople and companies that they trust and that can provide quality solutions. You need to establish an outstanding reputation with your customers. You need to have references and a proven track record of mastering product and industry information. If you are a brand new salesperson, leverage the experience of your company and management team.

- Truly get to know your customers and ask them smart questions: What do they do? Who do they do it with? Why do they do it that way? This kind of due diligence will  uncover how you and your company can help them do what they do better.                                          

If you follow this simple advice and put it into practice, you will be a top producer and respected business leader.

Mike Sperduti is CEO/managing partner of Emerge Sales. Reach him at msperduti@aol.com.