How to Close a Sale – 7 Telemarketing Closing Tips
The key to closing a sale is to successfully help your prospect quantify the potential reward of making an investment that solves a business problem, whatever that problem may be. It’s your job to help them come to the right decision. Without closing, that sales talk is just conversation, and not only that, but if you don’t close the sale? You just made the job easier for the next salesperson.
With that in mind, here are seven of the best telemarketing tips to help you close your next sale.
(Image: Angie Garrett (CC License))
- Remember that decision making is emotional
High pressure selling, using dated phrases such as “Do you want this to be delivered to your home address?” where you’re outright twisting the prospect’s arm into a sale is only going to make them tense. Emotion needs to be involved, and tension needs to be reduced.
- Using confirming questions
If the prospect has any objections, which they may well do, instead of just shutting them down, use confirming questions to lead them into a different area of conversation. Answering the objection and closing it down leaves the prospect with room to think about their next objection. Instead, once an objection has been overcome, ask a question such as “That sounds better, doesn’t it?” or “Would you enjoy that?” Once the prospect answers, you can move onto the next point.
- Trial the close
Another way to get the close is to simply go ahead and trial closing it. Phrases that connect the senses to the customer’s opinion can be of particular use, as senses are highly emotional, and are a great way to connect with the customer. Try phrases like “How does that make you feel?” or “Is that sounding better now?”
- Assume that you’ve got the sale
When your prospect gives you a “yes”, go ahead and take their details. Ask them for payment details or their address to get the ball rolling. Don’t say, “Okay, so would you like to go ahead and buy then?” You don’t need confirmation. They already gave you confirmation, so get on with the sale.
(Image: Jordan Whitfield)
- Avoiding high pressure
Avoiding high pressure isn’t always easy when you’re close to a sale and you know that your prospect is willing to buy, but just has a couple of objections keeping them from commiting. High pressure involves using one close after another after another – throwing on some sympathy, followed by a pain point, or whichever tactic you use, will just ramp up the tension and increase pressure. Instead, provide more information, then attempt to close. If the prospect is still unsure, provide more information, then attempt to close, and so on.
- Always be passionate
The worst thing you can do is get on the phone and sound like you’re reading from a script, even if that’s exactly what you’re doing. You shouldn’t be afraid to go off script, whenever you need to, and you should always, always be passionate about what you’re selling, regardless of whether you are or not.
- Listen to your prospect
Don’t talk over them. Don’t butt in. If they clearly and concisely say that they don’t want what you’re offering, thank them and ask if they’d like an email or letter with further information. Remember that although you are the salesperson and you want to make a sale, the function of that sale is to provide something that will be of value to your customer. Make your pitch, but sit back and listen to questions and queries.
Here at Virtual Sales Ltd, we offer telemarketing services, as well as a range of business and marketing services to push your company to new heights. For more expert advice, or to talk to us about your B2B marketing needs, get in touch today and see how we can improve your team’s closing rate today.
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Andy Dickens
Andy Dickens is a veteran of IT Sales, used to leading by example. He is the CEO of Virtual Sales Limited (VSL) who offer telesales, telemarketing, lead generation and appointment setting services to B2b businesses. He previously was Sales Director EMEA for Red Hat and before that ran sales at Visio before it was acquired by Microsoft.