Close Deals Faster – CLOSING

This is post 8 of my 10 part series on “Closing” based around my new book, Close Deals Faster: The 15 Shortcuts of the Asher Sales Method.I have touched upon topics such as building rapport, performing research, effective listening and handling objections. Now, I will cover the topic which separates the wheat from the chaff in sales: CLOSING.

A salesperson who cannot close is simply not a real salesperson. They might be great marketers, or excellent organizers. However, if they cannot get the final agreement they should not be called salespeople because that is the main function of the job. I mention this because too many salespeople perform busywork all day thinking they are selling, and they are not. Selling means guiding the buyer to say “Yes” and exchanging the money.

Now, in order to help my sales training customers close deals faster, there are a few principles which I teach.

The Six Closing Principles of the Asher Method

Here are the six principles, in the order they are used:

1. You cannot close until the buyer is ready to buy. Trying to close before this will make you seem pushy, leaving only a five percent chance of closing the sale.
2. Most buyers will almost never close themselves, even when they’re ready. Once the buyer IS ready, you need to be assertive and ask for the sale, or you will frustrate and lose them. When they move into buying mode, they want to be closed.
3. The combination of the conversation and the buyer’s body language tells you when the buyer is ready (buyer’s shift). There will be definite signs when a buyer moves into buying mode. You need to know these signals and act immediately. Most of them will be in the form of body language (uncrossing arms, leaning forward, rubbing hands together, etc.)
4. Buyers want a definitive closing proposal. When you make your closing statement, make it definitive and direct. “I am ready to start working on this so we get your first delivery by Thursday. Agreed?” Don’t hem and haw here.
5. Once you make the offer, be silent until the buyer responds. You just might unclose them if you speak before they give you the “yes” on the tip of their tongue. Don’t fidget, simply sit back, smile, and wait.
6. Once the buyer has agreed, QUIT TALKING ABOUT THE DEAL! Again, you can unclose them this way. Thank them, and just get busy quietly finalizing the paperwork, collecting the deposit, asking for referrals, etc.

The above principles rarely come naturally to anybody. Salespeople love to talk, so it goes against their nature to sit there silently for 30 seconds after they make an offer. But, to close deals faster, these principles should be put into practice by all salespeople. They really make a world of difference.

The above is just the tip of the iceberg. Learn more with Close Deals Faster: The 15 Shortcuts of the Asher Sales Method which is published by IdeaPress and available on Amazon.