About a month ago, a sales person was conducting an initial call with my wife and me. He had been persistent and professional in his pursuit of nailing us down for an appointment, did a fine job of research ahead of our meeting, and presented a value proposition that was unique to our scenario. He did a good job … until the end. His closing of the meeting practically ruined all of his hard work. He did great in asking us for the next steps and establishing actions items; he didn’t do anything rude or unprofessional; but he just didn’t close out our appointment the way he could have. In fact, he acted the same way most sales people act… and sadly, are trained to act. On Monday, Wednesday, and Friday of this week I’m going to share the three key factors in closing out a sales call in the most effective manner. Strategy #1, read further…
Most customers are very weary of their time when they’re meeting with a new sales person. Our track record proves that we’ll take every minute given to us and then some, even if the customer states a hard stop in the beginning of the meeting. After all, we’ve worked to get this time with our new prospect, so we’re going to maximize the return on our effort.
If you want to differentiate yourself from every other sales person and provide relief to your prospects, utilize strategy #1 in successfully closing a meeting - give them a five minute warning before your meeting is up. If your meeting is scheduled to end at 10:30, let them know at 10:25 that you should start to wrap it up and define action items. I know it sounds counterintuitive, but think about the benefits:
- You’re establishing control. Most customers want a sales person that is in control – establish the agenda, know your material, and end the meeting on time. If you take control with five minutes left, you’ll be taking control of the meeting and building a persona of authority.
- You’ll have time to discuss action items. How many meetings have you rushed action items while being chased out the door? With this approach, you’ll have plenty of time to discuss and decide upon the best action items for both of you.
- Your prospect will appreciate your consideration.
I know that traditional sales training says to take all the time a customer will give you, and I agree with that goal. However, in a relationship-based sale, your customers will give you less and less time throughout the year if you continue to waste their time and not control your appointments.
