10 Biggest Closing Mistakes

If you're not selling as much as you'd like, it could just be that the little things are holding you back. Even top pros fall back into old habits every now and then. Let's review the most common challenges:

1. Not asking clearly and directly for the sale. If you've been in the business a while, I hope this isn't something you do, but you'd be surprised at how many salespeople start assuming rather than closing.
2. Giving away too much too soon. Don't give away the farm just to harvest a single crop. Just because buyer's hesitate doesn't mean you have to jump to assuming the price is too high and offer discounts. Be patient and ask more questions to determine what's really holding them back. You might be surprised to find out it's not the money.
3. Nonstop talking. Remember, the most critically important instruction in closing: Whenever you ask the final closing question, SHUT UP! Who ever speaks next owns the product.
4. Just not in the mood to sell. Review your life's goals, they should motivate you. Listen to upbeat music. Do whatever it takes to psyche yourself up. No one else can do this for you.
5. Not treating each sale like a new day. Sure, you give your presentations over and over and could start to feel that they're stale, but each client is likely hearing it for the first time. Make sure they enjoy it, learn from it, and are motivated by it.
6. Rushing the close. When you rush, they'll feel rushed (aka pressure), and start to back off. It takes time for people to make decisions. Be patient.
7. Emphasizing the logical aspects and ignoring the emotional ones. Granted, in today's world more decisions are made based on deep analysis, ROI, and by committee, but they're still made by people. And people need to feel good about their decisions.
8. Too many distractions. Distractions disrupt momentum. Be proactive in setting the stage for business. Eliminate as many distractions as possible in advance.
9. You've lost control. You can't possibly prepare for every single aspect of each and every sale. However, the more you do prepare for, the better you'll be able to adapt when unusual circumstances break the sales process or just take it on a detour. The easiest way to regain control is by asking a question that guides the buyers' attention back to the matter at hand.
10. Prejudging someone's ability to own. Always assume the opposite--that they do want your product and can afford it until you prove otherwise through the use of professional qualification strategies.

Copyright Tom Hopkins International Inc. Learn more at www.tomhopkins.com/blog.