Closing: helping the customer to say 'yes'.

Manipulative closing techniques make for miserable customers.

It’s better to set up the conditions for a natural, painless close. Here are six ways to influence the process by helping customers make the decision to say ‘yes’ (assuming they truly want and need to buy your product or service).

Checklist

Ask yourself the following questions to see if you have fulfilled any of the criteria...

1 Have you already helped the customer?

Customers feel obligated to return a favour: if you’ve already helped the customer in some way, that customer will feel obligated to say ‘yes’ when you move to close. Create value (and hence a sense of obligation) early in the sale, perhaps by providing a unique industry perspective or offering a referral for a potential customer for your customer’s firm. A sincere desire to help can create a sense of obligation.

2 Does the customer think your offering is special?

Customers especially value products that are rare or difficult to get. Establish your firm as the only viable source for what the customer needs, and the customer will perceive your products and services as uniquely valuable. Be sure to highlight any circumstance (like shipment schedules) that could make your product or service more difficult to obtain in the future.

3 Does the customer consider you an authority?

Customers say ‘yes’ more frequently to salespeople with special knowledge or unique credibility. Emphasise anything about your specific background or experience that could increase the customer’s perception that you’re an authority and enhance your organisation’s reputation. Longer term, build your industry credentials by presenting at conferences and building profile in the trade press.

4 Would buying support the customer’s stated self-image?

Customers are more likely to sign on the dotted line if buying is consistent with a prior commitment they’ve made in your presence – especially if that commitment defines their identity. Get customers to define themselves as the type of people who truly needs what you’re offering. If you tie purchasing your offering to the customer’s self image, saying ‘no’ becomes much more  difficult.

5 Does the customer know peers who’ve bought?

‘Social proof’, more commonly known as referrals, are a major influence on buying behaviour. But wherever possible provide customers with examples and references that match their own profile. Invite prospects to meetings where they can mix with delighted customers from the same industry background or with similar life and work experience.

6 Does the customer like you personally?

All sales professionals know it: customers are more likely to say ‘yes’ if they know and like you. However, likeability isn’t an accident of personality. Build rapport by finding similarities between yourself and the customer. Find something about the customer you truly like and respect and the customer will naturally like and respect you.

All other factors (like product quality) being equal, such ‘pre-positioning’ during the selling process is the most important differentiator between successful opportunities and those that result in no sale.

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