3 Hot Tips to Close a Sale that actually work
Written by Christie Higgins
Over the past six months, we’ve seen dramatic changes to businesses around the world. The current pandemic has forced companies to shut their doors, stand down staff, and ultimately make it a lot harder to survive, especially if you own a small business. With that being said, it’s important to maintain long term customers and gain as many new customers as possible. But how do we keep consumers buying/spending in a time like this?
You won’t read it in Selling for Dummies, or university textbooks, or even traditional marketing strategies. I can say that with confidence as I am about to graduate from university, and I’ve spent my entire young life working in hospitality, sales, and event management where customer relations are a number one priority.
And that’s it. Your customer is your number one priority. Regardless of what service or goods you can provide, follow these tips and I promise you’ll close that sale.
“You won’t read it in Selling for Dummies…”
1. Get to know your customer
WHAT are you up to today?
WHO are you shopping for?
WHAT occasion or event is this for?
WHEN is this good/service needed by?
WHEREABOUTS are you located?
DID you have an idea of what you wanted?
Simple open-ended questions tell your customer that you are interested in assisting their wants and needs. It shows that you care about getting to know your customer on a deeper level, rather than just looking for the sale. I like to call these probing questions. While it may seem like casual chit-chat, you’re learning a lot more about your customer; meaning you can cater more closely to their needs.
2. Add Emotion
Emotion is such a powerful tool. After enough probing questions, you’ll start to learn what makes that customer tick. When you’ve found the perfect product/service, let your client touch the product (if allowed #COVID-19). Holding a product or even visualising an end result of a service increases the emotional connection in humans and we start to feel ownership of the item. Explain the process of the service and how it will benefit the customer, and ensure you mention “And that’s exactly what you wanted, right?”.
By this point, I’d say your customer is close to getting their credit card out, if they haven’t already.
3. Ask for the Sale
If you’ve done the groundwork, and followed these simple steps, asking for the sale shouldn’t be too difficult. What’s important to remember is not to look desperate. The more desperate you look, the more pressured the client feels, and it can result in your client feeling very uncomfortable.
If this occurs, they may feel pressure to buy, however, they won’t be likely to come back and if they do, they’ll have post-purchase regret and ultimately ask for a refund. THIS IS NOT WHAT YOU WANT. Stay calm, stay in tune with the conversation and if the client is happy with everything discussed, bring up a payment option. “Will you be paying with card or cash today?”
If there are still objections with price, choice of purchase, or the big one - “I’ll have to ask my partner,” be sure to know all your payment options, remind them why they love the good/service, and my favourite part… Ask your client “what would your partner say if they were here right now?”, and 95% of the time, you’ll hear “they actually wouldn’t care”.
It’s less about closing the sale and much more about giving your customer an experience to remember. These tips will give you long term customers who enjoy using your goods and services. You’ll gain customers who promote your business without a second thought. These are the customers you want at a time like this, and these are the customers you’ll get with these HOT tips.