How to Close More Sales – 11 Insanely Quick Tips to Close More Sales


How to Close More Sales – You want to close more sales, right? I know you do. We all do—but there are hard ways to close more sales, and then there are quick and easy ways. And, personally, I prefer the latter.

Given that I work with so many salespeople, I get to constantly see what’s really working in sales. I want to share with you what’s truly working in today’s fast-paced market.

In this video, I’m going to show you 11 insanely quick tips to close more sales. Check it out:

Summary:

How to Close More Sales Tip #1: Drop the old-school enthusiasm.

If you want to learn how to close more sales, you need to understand this: Your prospects are immediately turned off by salespeople who are overly enthusiastic. This is because, over the past 70 years, all the old-school sales-guru trainers have taught salespeople to act really excited, enthusiastic, and passionate about their offerings. The problem is that it comes off as very old-school and your prospects immediately want to end the interaction. So, drop that enthusiasm and you’ll close far more sales really quickly.

How to Close More Sales Tip #2: Focus on your prospects.

Your prospects only care about themselves. They don’t care about you. Change your interaction to focus exclusively on your prospects. Most salespeople talk endlessly about how their company has been doing business for the past hundred years, or how their offering is the best option out there. Whatever it is, the focus is typically on the salesperson. Instead, change the focus to the prospect. Once you do that, you’ll have mastered a crucial element of how to close more sales.  You’re going to find that prospects will be far more likely to want to engage with you.

How to Close More Sales Tip #3: Share best practices of what you see working (and not working) in the marketplace.

You have an amazing bird’s eye view of what’s going on in the lives of your prospects because you’re seeing so many of them at the same time. By sharing the best practices of what you see see in the marketplace, you’ll be perceived as the expert in the eyes of your prospects. Being an expert at what you sell is key to learning how to close more sales. Your prospects are going to want information from you, and they’re going to want to learn more from you. By being willing to share those best practices, you’re going to find that your prospects are much more interested in talking to you, and ultimately, you’ll close more sales.

How to Close More Sales Tip #4: Engage prospects with questions about challenges.

As salespeople today, we all know that we should be asking questions. But what’s interesting is that salespeople are rarely asking good questions pertaining to their prospects’ challenges. Questions like, “Tell me about the biggest challenge that you’re facing right now, with regards to [whatever it is that you sell].” If you ask questions about prospects’ challenges, they’re going to be much more likely to actually open up, because prospects want to solve those challenges. By engaging a prospect around their challenges, rather than the solutions you offer, you’re going to have much more effective conversations.

How to Close More Sales Tip #5: Learn the cost of your prospects’ challenges.

This is one of my biggest passions in sales. Understanding the cost of your prospects’ challenges is a major key to understanding how to close more sales. If you can understand what particular challenges are costing a prospect, you are immediately creating value. Value leads to more closed sales. Once you understand your prospect’s challenges, then it’s time to ask a question like, “What would you say these challenges are costing you, or your organization?” By getting that answer, you are immediately creating value for the solution that you provide. And you’ll close a lot more sales.

How to Close More Sales Tip #6: Get a budget.

Old-school sales gurus say, “Don’t ask for a budget. Your prospect is never going to give you a budget.” Salespeople often say to me, “Oh, I tried asking for a budget once. It didn’t work.” Here’s the thing: Salespeople who are asking for budgets and not getting them simply aren’t doing it right. It’s that simple. Over the course of my career, I’ve asked for budgets thousands of times—and I almost always get a budget. Of course, there are those few cases where you just can’t get a budget. But the process of asking for a budget is going to get the prospect to start to really think about what’s the value of a solution to the challenges at hand.

Again, we started by laying out what those challenges are and what they cost. Now, it’s time to ask, “George, what could you see investing in order to solve these challenges?” By asking questions pertaining to budget, you’re going to get prospects, in most cases, to lead with what they’re actually willing to invest. This allows you to close far more sales because you’re not just hitting people over the head with a price. Instead, it’s what they’re willing to actually invest.

How to Close More Sales Tip #7: Be willing to walk away.

This is one of the most controversial points I make about selling. If you’re not willing to walk away from a prospect, you are at a disadvantage. At least 50% of the prospects that you come across aren’t a good fit for you—and you’re not a good fit for them. Maybe they don’t have enough money, or they just don’t simply have the challenges that you solve. Whatever the reason, don’t be afraid to walk away from these prospects. To learn how to close more sales, you must be willing to walk away from any selling situation once you determine that it’s not a fit. Find people who actually want and need what you sell, and be willing to walk away from those who don’t.

How to Close More Sales Tip #8: Get commitment before presenting.

One of the biggest mistakes I see in sales is that salespeople are too quick to give their presentation. If your prospect isn’t committed to solving the challenges that they have, then there’s no point in presenting a solution. It doesn’t make sense. Be sure that you get commitment from your prospects, not necessarily to work with you, but just commitment to solve the challenges that they’ve identified. By doing that before presenting your solution, you’re going to close a lot more sales because you’ll only present to those people who have shown commitment to dealing with those challenges.

How to Close More Sales Tip #9: Give three options in any proposal.

This is a simple change that makes all the difference in selling. Most salespeople, when they provide a proposal, are providing only one option to each prospect. It’s ridiculous for us to assume that we know exactly what the prospect is going to want. Some prospects are going to just want the bare minimum. Others are going to want the absolute premium option. Provide prospects with three different options in every proposal, ranging from a lower-end alternative that’s still going to solve their challenges, all the way up to a premium option with all the bells and whistles.

This will accomplish two things: 1. You’re going to sell a lot of those premium options that you otherwise might not have shown a prospect in the first place. 2. By providing three options in a proposal, you’re providing context by which a prospect can make a decision. So, your prospects are going to be a lot less likely to go out and shop for other alternatives. This is a really powerful distinction that’s going to help you master how to close more sales.

How to Close More Sales Tip #10: Always establish a next meeting during the current meeting.

This is an easy one. When my clients tell me, “I presented my proposal but then it kind of just fell apart,” I always ask, “Did you set the next meeting during that proposal meeting or during that presentation meeting?” So often they respond, “Oh no. I didn’t. I just figured that I would call them in a week or so.” Here’s the thing: When you leave a meeting with unclear next steps,  things fall apart. Always set the next meeting during your current meeting. If you’re in an early discovery meeting, set a time and date for your presentation meeting. If you’re in a presentation meeting, schedule a phone call to follow up.

How to Close More Sales Tip #11: Ask for introductions at the point of sale.

This is a simple step that very few salespeople actually implement. When you close a sale, this is a time when your prospects are very inclined to want to introduce you to other people like themselves who you might be able to help. Be sure to ask them for introductions and referrals at the point of closing the sale. As soon as that sale is closed, it’s time to ask for those introductions. Now, they may not introduce you right away, but you’ll at least plant the seed for them to start thinking about who they could introduce you to. A lot of your customers will want to introduce you to people because they’ve just made the exciting decision to work with you. That is a beautiful time to ask for introductions.

So, there you have it. Now you know 11 insanely quick tips to close more sales. I want to hear from you. Which of these quick tips did you find most useful? Be sure to share below in the comments section. I’ll respond to as many comments as possible.