Closing the sale can be scary! You’ve spent hours consulting, discussing, and presenting your solution, and it’s time to close the sale. Both you and your prospect know that this is the time to make a decision, but anxiety and fear is running high. You fear rejection, the prospect fears making a bad buying decision. You manage to blurt out “So, what do you think?” and hope for the best (not a valid strategy, by the way!). We know from social intelligence that our emotions are highly contagious, so how do you keep your cool to make it easier for your prospects to become clients? Here are three possible mindset changes you can make to reduce anxiety when closing the deal, along with respective closing phrases:
Closing the Sale Confidently Tip #1: Think of Yourself as a “Doctor of Selling”
Imagine this scenario: You walk into a doctor’s office with a terrible headache. The doctor does a full check-up to make sure he understands the cause. It comes time for him to prescribe you medication and treatment, and he says “So, what do you think?”
It would be ludicrous for a doctor to be anxious at the time of prescription, and the same should apply to your sales. If you have done a proper job with checking-up your prospect’s situation and pain points (an apt term for this analogy!), the prospect is going to expect you to make a “prescription.” An appropriate closing phrase for this might be “From my diagnosis, I am certain that our product will solve your problem. We just need your authorisation here, and then we can get started right away.”
Closing the Sale Confidently Tip #2: Re-think “Closing a Sale” to “Opening a Relationship”
When a person buys your product, they essentially enter into a relationship with your company. Some business experts have likened this to marriage (though obviously not as binding), which is a very useful framework of thinking. James Tuckerman once said about online marketing “You wouldn’t ask someone to marry you on the first date,” so make sure you invest time into your prospects before “popping the question!”
Once a sale is closed, don’t throw your hands up to free yourself from further responsibility. Make sure you guide them through every step of onboarding, and use reassuring phrases such as “Simply sign here, and I’ll make sure you’re looked after.”
Closing the Sale Confidently Tip #3: Position Yourself as an Advisor
Your job is not to push your prospect into buying, but to help them decide what’s in their own best interests. When talking about your product, you plainly state its strengths and weaknesses, and compare it to other possible solutions. No, you’re not 100% impartial (you represent your company after all), but you can certainly highlight the advantages and points of differentiation of your solution. By the way, this mindset requires that you also be willing to advise against buying your solution if it is not a good fit for them! Try using a phrase such as “From my assessment I think you’ll be very happy using our solution, but you’re free to choose what you think is best.”
Conclusion
We have indeed moved into a new era of selling, where cheesy closing tactics are out, and relationship and consultative selling are in. To reduce anxiety for yourself and your prospects, think of yourself as a doctor of selling, be interested in building long-term relationships with your clients, and position yourself as an advisor. Make closing a natural part of your selling process, and enjoy the ride!
If you enjoyed this article, don’t forget to click ‘like,’ leave a comment, or share it with others!
Related Articles
3 Ways to Reduce Sales Resistance
How to Increase Your Confidence Authentically
Complimentary Consult
Click here to request a complimentary sales consultation!
Sales Ethos is the only provider of sales training for introverts. We also provide sales coaching, sales process consulting, and sales training in Melbourne & Adelaide.
Image credit: https://pixabay.com/