It is easy to talk yourself out of a sale by going on well after customers have made up their minds. By talking too much you may trigger an objection, give them time to retract their decision or simply run out of time to get a firm agreement. Missing a buying signal does not exactly impress a customer with your responsiveness, either.
In general, when a customer is considering your proposal, weighing up the pros and cons, there is a certain amount of emotional energy being expended. When the customer has made the decision - either for or against your proposal - the tension disappears and the customer relaxes. If you are paying attention, you will hear a soft sigh of relief that the decision-making is over. Shoulders may slump, and body relax into the chair.
Stop whatever you are doing or saying and ask for the order.
When customers are very interested in your product or service, they may do or say some of the following.
-Touch or stroke the product.
-Pick it up and hold it.
-Glance at it frequently.
-Smile at it.
-Ask lots of questions about it.
-Ask for details of installation or delivery.
-Ask about payment terms, or warranties.
-Shift from saying "you" to "us".
-Restate product benefits, or how they expect it will solve a problem.
These behaviors may be unconscious signals that the customer is ready to be closed. You should stop what you are doing and go for the close. Often you will get their agreement. Sometimes your attempt to close may be premature, but by asking for the order, you will flush out the remaining objections.
Body Language and the Close
There is a certain amount of drama associated with closing the sale. It is the moment you and the customer both know is coming. It is the climax of your interactions; ideally it is the result of increasing momentum and sense of urgency that has been building during the sales process.
When you respond to a buying signal by asking customers for a commitment to buy, they experience a mild rush of feelings, which usually causes them to cast down their eyes. When that happens, they must know without a doubt, that when they look up, their eyes will meet yours, unwavering, expectant, and deserving of a straight answer. It may nor be the answer you want, but you will get an answer. If your eyes are not there, the customer is off the hook, and does not have to give you a straight answer.
Increase Closing Opportunities by Watching your Customer. - To learn more about this author, visit John Brennan's Website.
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John Brennan
(Visit John's Website)
John Brennan Ed.D.
Dr. Brennan is President of Interpersonal
Development, LLC, a training and
development firm. Interpersonal
Development has provided sales training
and coaching to more than 3,000 sales reps
from over 100 companies.
A native of Australia, Dr. Brennan
received his doctorate from the University
of Rochester. His dissertation researched
the effectiveness of Behavioral Modeling
Technology in training people in
interpersonal skills. While he has spent
most of his career designing or delivering
training, he was also a Vice-President of
Sales of a training and development
franchise with operations in 25 markets.
Dr. Brennan has designed and delivered
sales training in North America, Asia,
Europe, Australia and the Middle East. He
has been a guest speaker at numerous
national and regional professional
conferences.
When Microsoft wanted Best Practices
articles on sales for their web site, they
called Dr. Brennan. The results are at office.microsoft.com/e
n-us/FX011387391033.aspx
His firm’s clients have included Volvo,
The Prudential, Merrill Lynch, Eastman
Kodak, Gannett, Equifax Europe, the
Economist Group and countless small
businesses.
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