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Sales Training
Definition: Closing Sales
By Leanne Hoagland-Smith
Apr 21, 2008

Closing the sale or gaining the commitment is part of the sale process. However, many sales professionals to service professionals view closing more as a singularity instead of a process. This results in the less sales and more frustration. Sound familiar?



Yes, there are specific skill sets required when dealing with this step in the sales process - closing or gaining commitment. However these skills should be used in conjunction with the other sales skills and aligned to the overall sales process.



The key word here is sales process. When a sales person utilizes a proven sales process that takes him or her through the buying/selling process, then closing is really a sub set skill and not the most critical skill.



Unfortunately, many in sales forget the most critical skills - developing a relationship. When you have a relationship with someone and you have taken the time to understand that person, you will be actually making soft closes or trial closes during the entire sales process.



A solid relationship should exist before you even try to sell anyone anything. People buy from people then and only then do they buy the products or services. Yes with the Internet there are some exceptions to this and there are exceptions to many rules. However for most individuals, they buy from other individuals especially when that product or service is critical to their business or their own personal life.



If you as a sales person have taken the time to:




  • Accurately fact find and truly dig for those unstated needs

  • Educate the buyer specific to those needs and how your product or service meets those needs

  • Demonstrate your subject matter expertise with confidence and clarity of purpose

  • Be authentic

  • Separate the stalls from the objections

  • Overcome any objections that arise


Then closing is simply a matter of asking: Where do we go from here?



 




Author's Bio

If you have to back pedal at the time of closing, then you have failed your role as a sales person and are probably more of an order taker. Remember this sales coaching tip that closing the sale should always be a continuum within the buying/selling process and not a singular event.


If you finding closing the sale to be an issue, then take this free sales skills to learn if you need to improve any other sales skills.


What other strategies are you using to increase sales? This free customer loyalty audit may help better understand how to cultivate loyal customers by turning them into raving fans.Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Leanne_Hoagland-Smith
http://EzineArticles.com/?Sales-Coaching-Tip---Closing-the-Sale-is-Part-of-the-Sales-Process-and-Not-a-Single-Event&id=986742




This definition is part of a series that covers the topic of Sales Training. The Official Guide to Sales Training is Tom Hopkins.


Tom Hopkins is an authority on the subject of selling. He is known as the nation's #1 sales trainer and developed many successful selling techniques from his own experiences in sales. Yet Tom is quick to admit that his early sales career was not successful. In fact, he failed miserably during his first six months of selling. He learned that the secret to high level productivity is combining a desire to sincerely help others make decisions that are good for them with "how to" training.


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