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Let me give you a quick, easy to use, technique that will make your closes shorter and more effective. The technique is to confirm your answers to any buying question – or any objection – that you get. The importance of this came up for me while I was listening to a series of phone calls during which a sales rep was conducting a demo of a product. When the prospect asked the price, the rep gave it to him, but then he just kept talking to justify it!
It went something like this:
Prospect: “So how much does this cost?”
Closer: “The price for set up in your location is just $700, and then the monthly fee is just $125 per month. Of course we do a lot for you for that set up fee. It takes our tech staff blah, blah, blah… And also, that monthly fee covers blah, blah, blah. In addition, we also blah, blah, blah… And another feature with this is blah, blah, blah, blah…”
What happened on this call is that the closer, in his attempt to justify the price, actually introduced a question which turned into an objection and that led to this sale being stalled. And that’s the big danger whenever you begin talking past the close.
What the rep should have done is use a confirmation statement to see how the price fits for the prospect.
Something like this:
Prospect: “So how much does this cost?”
Closer: “The price for set up in your location is just $700, and then the monthly fee is just $125 per month. Does that work within your budget?”
If building more value was required, then he could have gone into a brief explanation of that, but after that, he would still have to confirm his answer (which he and most other closers rarely do).
To take this further, if the prospect then said that it did fit within his budget, the next question would have been:
“And do you think this will work in your company?”
If the answer to that question was yes, then:
“Great! Then let me show you how to get started…”
This way, the close could have happened long before the rep talked past the sale.
This idea of confirming your answer is crucial not just when you answer a question, but also when you answer an objection as well.
For example, after you answer a price objection, or objection about availability or any other objection, the thing to do is confirm your answer. Use any of the following:
“Did I answer that for you?”
“Is that more clear now?”
“Does that make sense to you?”
“Do you see why we charge for that now?”
Etc.
And after you do, if you get a yes or get buy in, then you ask for the order!
Use, “Great, then let me show you how easy it is for you to get started with this…”
If the prospect then has another question or objection, you answer that as well, confirm your answer and ask for the order, over and over again.
The point here is that if you confirm your answer, you then get to ask for the order. If you don’t, and you’re talking or pitching after you answer a question, then chances are, you’ll talking past the close. And why would you want to do that?