As a salesperson, the best way to close as many sales as possible is to keep up with the times. This means engaging in sales practices that are proven to work and avoiding sales tactics that are outdated. Speaking of outdated tactics, the following sales closing techniques are exactly what you should be avoiding as a salesperson.
1. Telling the Customer that the Time to Buy is Now
While it’s a good idea to create a somewhat sense of urgency for the customer to encourage them to buy as soon as possible, telling the customer that it’s either “now or never” is a wrong sales closing approach. It can leave the customer feeling overwhelmed or feel like you’re being too impatient with them.
It’s also a bad idea to tell a customer that “it’s never the perfect to buy, so you might as well buy now.” It doesn’t justify anything or make the customer feel better about their prospective purchase.
Instead, ensure the customer knows that they know where to go when they’re ready to buy. Offer them a business card for future reference.
2. Assuming the Customer is Interested
Nothing is worse than a salesperson acting as if they know the customer will eventually cave in and buy. Closing lines that assume the customer has agreed to your product or service looks ingenuine and makes the customer feel ignored. It also makes the salesperson look overly confident.
Other times, the customer may give in if they lack the ability to say no, only for them to be unhappy with the product or service later down the line because they didn’t truly want it. So, rather, try to get the customer interested rather than assume they will be.
3. Giving a Hefty Discount or Freebie for Buying Today
While discounts and freebies do work, using these to try to reel in an uninterested customer to buy ASAP only appears desperate and fishy.
For instance, if a customer says the price is too high for your product or service, telling them you will give them a discount or offering a free month of service is a bit too aggressive. That’s a no-go. Instead, if you’re going to offer discounts or freebies, do so from the get go, and don’t make them buy the same day. Bribery rarely works out the way we want it to.
4. Focusing on Being the Customer’s Pal
Being friendly is one thing, but acting like you’re the customer’s best friend is cheesy and makes you look like a big phony. As an alternative, remain professional and informative. Remember that the goal is to help make the customer’s life easier, not to get buddy-buddy with them or engage in awkward casual talk with them. They see right through that.
5. Not Taking No for an Answer
Let’s face it: some salespeople don’t understand what the word no means. This comes across as rude, pushy, and money hungry. The best thing to do? Accept no for an answer and let the customer know that if they change their mind, you’ll be available. Know when to stop your sales pitch and thank the customer for their time before walking away or hanging up.
One of the biggest lessons in sales and call center training, after all, is to learn to accept defeat.
Conclusion
There are many great ways to sell a product or service. However, the latter techniques are not it. No longer are these tactics successful, and chances are, they will lead to doors slammed in your face or phones being hung up. In the end, if you want to be a good salesperson, engaging in all the right techniques and avoiding the outdated ones is key.