Years ago, I was taught that “the close” is an affirmation of the conversations a salesperson has had with the prospect. The problems arise if the qualifying steps were not as strong as they needed to be to set up the closing in an effective way.

There are typically three things that salespeople want to know how to improve and these include (1) see more people, (2) manage their time better and (3) close more business.

Years ago, I was taught that “the close” is an affirmation of the conversations a salesperson has had with the prospect. The problems arise if the qualifying steps were not as strong as they needed to be to set up the closing in an effective way.

Let’s do a quick recap of what should have happened during the qualifying process and prior to a salesperson showing up for the close: They should have:

• Built a relationship based on confidence and trust
• Identified the motivation or compelling reason for the prospect to take action
• Had the prospect tell them that they wanted to fix a problem or that they need a currently unrealized benefit
• Come to an agreement with the prospect that they will invest time, money and resources to fix the problem
• Agree to a decision making process that includes:
• The salesperson providing a solution that fits their specifications
• The salesperson offering a solution that is within their budget
• The salesperson answering all of their questions
• The prospect agreeing to be prepared to make a decision of yes or no
• Sent an “as we agreed to” letter
• Followed up the “as we agreed to” letter with a phone call confirming the contents of the letter

If, in fact, the salesperson has done these things, then the close should be an affirmation of everything that they’ve already agreed to. If the salesperson has not executed on these items, there will be trouble at the time of close.

Here are the 9 steps that will help every salesperson close more sales:

1. Make sure that every step noted above in the qualifying process is executed
2. Prepare to be dazzling. Salespeople must prepare completely for the call. They should find their sales manager or their co-worker and role play the call. They should not leave the office to go to the appointment until they have done a run through
3. Review with the prospect the reason for the meeting and presentation:
4. There is a problem that needs to be solved
5. There is an agreed to investment to solve the problem
6. There will be a decision today to either solve the problem or not solve the problem (They will tell the salesperson yes or no)
7. Place their 3-page presentation in front of the prospect:
8. Page 1 – cover sheet
9. Page 2 – list of problems identified in the qualifying process
10. Page 3 – list of salesperson’s solutions to their problems
11. Ask the prospect which problem they want to discuss first
12. Provide the solution and answer all of their questions
13. Ask the prospect to rate the solution such as, “On a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being perfect, 1 not an option, which is it?”  If it is 7 or better, the salesperson is in good shape, but if the prospect does not have all of the information they need, they will now have to ask them “What information do you need to get to a 10?”
14. Proceed through each solution in the same manner
15. When all of their solutions have been presented, they should ask the question, “What would you like to do now?”

If a salesperson has followed the qualifying steps above and executed these 9 closing steps, they will get a decision. But remember, a decision can be yes or a no. Certainly every salesperson wants to hear ‘”yes” but they should consider a “no” a good option as they are not left with “I’ll think it over,” which is the worst answer a salesperson can get.