How to Close the Sale Without Being Salesy

So many sales people tell me about how uncomfortable they feel when it is time to close the sale and they don’t want to sound salesy. Old school sales training would suggest you use some kind of Kung Fu closing technique like, “So, should we plan to start this week or next week?”

But this is transparent and just puts pressure on a prospect. Knowing that we don’t want to be salesy, what should we do after we have determined that the prospect is qualified?

Here are three simple tips to closing the sale without being salesy:

1. Present Case Studies: Often, sales people will try to bombard prospects with every single feature and benefit of their product or service. However, in this new market, where prospects are far more savvy, they don’t need an education on your product or service. Prospects need to see that you can help them achieve their desired outcomes by solving their challenges. By presenting them with case studies or past examples similar to their story, you can show how you will help them without bogging them down in every single feature and benefit.

2. Get Feedback: During the presentation phase of a sale, it should not be a one-way conversation. Throughout your presentation, you should constantly be checking in with the prospect to make sure that she is on-board with what you are presenting. For example, after you share a particular part of your service, ask, “Does that make sense for your situation?”
The prospect will then give you feedback. Ask quick questions like that throughout your entire presentation. Do you agree with that?

3. Shut Up! During presentations, many sales people begin to talk and talk and talk. Stop that. Your goal is not to give the prospect an MBA in your product—it’s to close the sale. There is no need to do a lot of talking. Present the challenges that your prospect has, and then shut up. If a prospect interrupts you during your presentation, stop talking and let the prospect talk. What he has to say is always more important than what you have to say. Even if you are naturally chatty in your personal life, don’t bring that over to your selling situation. You control the sale by keeping the prospect talking throughout.

Remember, great sales people don’t need to use some fancy close technique because they have done a strong job throughout the sale. In the end, just follow these steps and close those sales.

How do you close your sales? Please share below.

Written by Marc Wayshak, author of the book Game Plan Selling and a sales keynote speaker.