Asking For The Sale Doesn’t Have To Feel Uncomfortable
Many new salespeople experience anxiety when it comes to asking for a buying decision. This self-imposed pressure is often enough to prevent them from closing the deal entirely.
Often, they do everything right in terms of providing sufficient information, demonstrating technical expertise, and talking about their success with similar previous projects, but when it comes to asking for the sale and getting commitment, they sometimes avoid ‘the ask’ altogether.
Some hope that the client will indicate their desire to proceed on their own. Others fear accidentally pushing too hard and as a result turning off the prospective client.
Many are afraid their fee or proposal will be rejected and that they’ll fail to meet company-imposed sales quotas or targets. In reality, not asking for the sale will almost always guarantee they fail to meet these quotas.
The good news is, asking for the sale doesn’t have to be uncomfortable, as long as you prepare your prospect for it in advance.
If you set the “ask” up correctly, the client will generally be open to exploring some type of agreement or next steps – especially if they are anticipating good value, positive outcomes, and the benefits of working with you and your firm. Closing the deal – or securing commitment as I prefer to describe it – is the logical conclusion to a sales conversation.
Let me share a technique I teach those who are regularly closing deals in the tens of thousands through to millions of dollars.
The next sales presentation or BD meeting you’re in, set up the close in advance by letting the prospect know, “My goal for this meeting is to gain an understanding of your needs so I can present you with some options and solutions that specifically address your requirements. Naturally, once I’ve presented the options, I’ll be asking you to make a decision as to how we should proceed.”
By framing the discussion ahead of time, you create an expectation of how the meeting will conclude and prepare the client to await the “ask”. Perhaps more importantly, you create a framework that enables you to logically conclude the meeting without pressure or manipulation.
Remember, you told them you were going to do this.
I have found this approach to be very effective for removing the worry and fear of the “dreaded close”. It clears your mind to focus on asking questions; listening carefully; responding intelligently and proposing relevant and valuable options for the client to select from rather than worrying about how and when you’ll close.
This transforms the “sales presentation” into a two-way conversation between professionals who respect and value each other. If you’ve felt salesy or pushy in the past when closing the sale, this approach is going to empower you to proceed with confidence.
After applying this strategy, clients have told me how easy it was and how confident they felt by preparing the client for the request at the outset. More importantly, they are closing more deals, securing more project work and making more money.
Go ahead, try it, it works.