Closing Sales Using A Seven Step Process
You are about to read Article 1 of my 20-article series about Closing Sales and becoming a great sales person. The focus of this article is providing an introduction to organizing a sales call. This is a synopsis of the Seven Step process. You probably know several, so for those it will jog your memory and prompt you. There may be some that you also know but weren’t aware of knowing them. This will make you more mindful and self-assured. Some others will be fresh and enhance your self-assurance and zeal.
This new information is a spring board for closing sales, ones you would just have almost made otherwise. New information guides you to add new skills which gives you more confidence and stimulates you to win. When you utilize this 7-step process, you know more about your prospects, generate more empathy, and enhance your ability to be persuasive.
The steps are:
1. Preparation
2. Approach
3. Probe
4. Presentation
5. Close or complete
6. Post-Completion
7. Alternate Close.
Later articles will provide more depth that you will find informative in assisting you to succeed, but for now I’ll give a brief review.
1. Preparing: First, you must plan. Consider your goal. Who will be present? What can be the outcome? What information can you obtain. Plan for all contingencies. Articles that follow will be more detailed.
2. Approaching. What is Approaching? It is how you begin your meeting. What is its objective. It launches your credibility and creates a relationship. Some people like casual conversation, some do not. Preparing by learning about the other person is a plus.
3. Probe. Why probe? Well, to understand your prospect, to learn about his needs, his priorities and his decision making process so you can relate better to him when you make your presentation. In addition you demonstrate that you’re interested in him. It helps you build rapport and build credibility.
4. Presentation. This is when you talk more than you listen. You supply the benefits that answer your prospect’s requirements. It is important that you help your prospect desire your answer to his need or forget the rest of the process.
5. Completion or Closing. This is the key part of the whole process. Action takes place only when someone completes a sale. There is no activity unless a sale is made. Asking a question that can produce a sale is critical. Subsequent articles contain several examples, and my book, All-Star Selling has many more.
6. Post-Completion. Don’t be in hurry to leave after you close a sale. Supporting the buyer’s positive decision is important. You can help the buyer keep from regretting his decision with a good Post-Completion. You can do this by directing your client to imagine a time in the future with him feeling good about the decision he made today.
7. Alternate completion. If your Completion is not successful, you can recycle to previous steps and make a second effort. You can do a different approach, probe some more, present additional benefits, try a different completion question, or answer an objection. To reiterate, you can return to an earlier step in the structure like Approach, Probing, Presentation, Completion or Closing, Post-Completion or simple try an Alternate Completion question.
Extraordinary sales professionals plan their sales meetings. They take the time to prepare for the outcome they desire, which guides them to obtain it. You are in effect planning to fail if you do not plan to succeed.
What you’ve just done, you’ve grasped the importance of taking a planned, structured approach to selling. You’re preparing to succeed.
Reading this first essay gives you an introduction to the whole method. The remaining 19 flesh out this process. See my blog www.stanleyfidel.com/blog for more essays on the subject. They may all be residing there already, depending upon when you read this one.
If you have enjoyed this essay about closing sales and would like to see 20 videos that give you more of this kind of information, absolutely free, visit www.stanleyfidel.com/free. You will get a link very quickly for the whole series. So long and keep selling.
Looking to discover more about marketing your business then visit www.stanleyfidel.com/free to find the best advice on closing sales for you.
