Closing The Sale Technique

Nothing is more frustrating than giving a solid presentation to the decision maker(s), handling their objections, creating value and excitement, and smelling the deal ready to close only to have the prospect tell you that after much pondering and thought, they need to think about it just a little bit more. You begin to press, push and if you are not careful turn your prospect off all together and lose the sale, but what are you to do? You have done all you can. Your product/service makes sense, is affordable, offers the features and benefits they were seeking and now you ask yourself…”where did I go wrong?” Why do they STILL need to think about it? Well, I’ll tell you why.

Now, nothing against the timeshare industry, there are some good companies, with good people, selling good product making a great living but lets be honest for a second, it is not the most pleasant experience in the world when listening to their presentation. You know the drill. Get a free gift if you will take the tour of the property, listen to their pitch and make a decision THAT day! That’s right, make a decision on a product that could set you back anywhere from $5,000-$50,000. And you have 15 minutes to think it over.

Don’t get me wrong, these sales people have all of their bases covered BEFORE you sit down. They are prepared for any and ALL objections thrown at them during this presentation and they are the masters of creating value and excitement during the time you are there. Here is how they ensure that you have all the information you need to make a decision TODAY!

* Spouse must be present (spousal concern covered)
* Must have a major credit card (for down payment concern)
* Will finance any amount to fit any budget by adding or subtracting weeks. (Eliminates the “Cannot afford it” statement)
* Have walked you through a replica of “your” room. (creates value and excitement)
* Have other couples in the room, and yell out when someone buys (creates excitement and credibility).

So what happens? You get beat up in the presentation and they push and push and push until finally they give up, they accept your “no” and you leave (If you didn’t buy that is, and I am assuming you didn’t). How do you feel AFTER this ordeal? Beat up? Exhausted? How about relieved! You are relieved because the presentation is over and you are “off the hook”. No more giving objections and telling them why you are not interested or listening to their managers give concessions, you are out of there and the stress level is gone, the guard is down and you can now relax.

Well, that is what you need to do here. Let your prospect off the hook, temporarily, than ask again. Get them to drop their protective guard and open up to you, and the only way to do this is to NOT be in a selling mode. I am not saying your presentation is high pressure, they are simply holding back saying “yes” because they have one to two small items they may be unclear on. Price, terms, color, delivery, etc., and for whatever reason they are holding it back from you. By letting them off the hook, the pressure of the sale is off and they are more at ease, their guard has dropped. I cannot tell you how many sales I have closed by letting my prospect off the hook, and than digging a little deeper for the real objection. Here is a typical scenario of how this powerful closing technique would work.

“Well Mr. Prospect, I can appreciate the fact you need think it over so lets do this, lets say we get together again (name a date and time you both agree on) and we wrap it up at that time fair enough?”

This relaxes them, puts them at ease and it also sets a solid date and time for you to meet again should you still leave empty handed. After they agree, move to the next phrase of the close.

“Mr. Prospect, before I leave here today, do you think you could help me out, assist me here a little”?

Of course they will respond with a resounding yes and allows you to continue.

“When we meet here next week, I want to make sure this deal is air tight and you are satisfied with the price and terms don’t you agree”?

They will.

“Well, between you and I, what was the one thing that held you back here today, I really am curious. It would be great if you could share it with me so that I can make sure we clear it up before our next meeting, wouldn’t you agree?

Stand perfectly still, smiling and wait for their answer. I cannot tell you how many clients would come back with their REAL objection, the REAL reason that was holding them back for buying that day. In essence, it gives you a SECOND chance to close them and handle the objection AGAIN, without seeming too pushy or too assertive, and one more chance to leave with a signed deal.

Think about it for a moment if you will. You are on your way out the door and the sales presentation has ended. What hesitation will they have NOW in telling you what the real reason was? The selling environment is gone, the stress level is nil and all you are looking for is a little help, not a commitment? You will be very, very surprised how many deals you will end up closing right than and THERE that you thought were lost! This close will be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars to you for the remainder of your career, just wait and see.