If the marketing automation (inbound and outbound) you have in place is successfully reeling in a constant flow of qualified leads, then good job! It means you are slowly on your way into building a healthy list of contacts that’s interested about your brand. But just because your email marketing software is effective it should not mean that your sales team can take it easy. You’ll also need some sales closing techniques in your arsenal.
Remember, it’s not the email marketing software that closes deals and turns them into profit — it’s the sales representatives. They are your frontliners.
Once the leads come in, they have to kick it in high gear and give their all to have any prospect sign those papers.
Closing deals need a human touch, or in most cases a push. If by any chance the humans in question need a little help in doing so, we’ve listed four good ‘ol sales closing techniques that have always served us incredibly well throughout the years.
Here are 4 sales closing techniques that can reinforce your email marketing software in turning leads into loyal customers:
Sales Closing Techniques: Talk Less, Ask More
The worst thing any sales rep can do is to be always talking about what they’re selling.
Leads are more concerned about their own issues, and sometimes they’re not even sure where exactly the issues truly lie. That’s why you should be asking probing questions about their concerns more than you should be hard-selling.
Think of how a doctor’s consultation usually goes. Ever notice how the doctor asks you series of questions about your symptoms first before prescribing a remedy?
Sales representatives can definitely learn a thing or two from their physician’s technique.
Instead of a sales pitch, probe into your prospects’ symptoms. Identify their pain points so you can determine what exactly is causing them. Only after the discovery of the source that you should point how your solutions can address them.
Asking the questions is not only integral in zeroing in on your prospects’ pain points, it also communicates to them that you genuinely care about their problems.
Asking such questions can also be a good way of understanding how you can properly slant your product to truly hit the mark. By digging deep into what your customer needs, there can be a higher chance of them hitting your product up. Of course, learning what to ask takes time so better start now.
Sales Closing Techniques: Plus Points for Opinion
Not yours, but your prospect’s. Since you’re already asking your leads questions anyway, ask for their opinions as well.
Not only does adding the phrase “in your opinion” soften the blow of a rejection, but it also shows your client that you are interested in what they think and that you respect how they feel. It is important that you make your prospect “king” in this situation.
You wouldn’t want them feeling that the conversation is just one-sided.
After your probing query and introducing your product or service, ask these kinds of questions:
- “In your opinion, will this solution solve your problem?”
- “[Summarize the prospect’s issues]. Do you feel that I have a clear grasp of your concern?”
- “Based on what you’ve told me, these are how our company can help… Do you think these solutions address your issues?”
These queries convey that you value their input. More importantly, it probes more into their concern. The more fully you can grasp their issues earlier on, the easier it is to address them and the faster it is to wrap the deal up.
It also serves as a guide that you are listening to their concerns and that you actually in helping them deal with their issues, an important note to take into consideration when trying to close a deal.
Prospects want to feel that you truly understand their concern and that you can sympathize with them. And it is with your product that you can help make their worries and concerns go away.
Sales Closing Techniques: Be Inoffensive
The Inoffensive Close also anchors on questions. But this time, you will be asking leading questions. You have to drive home the conversation, hopefully towards a closed deal.
After probing into your prospect’s problems and eventually offering a solution, softly nudge them into signing along the dotted lines of the contract with questions like these:
- At this point, do you feel that I have a good understanding of the issues you and your company are facing?
- If I’ve understood it clearly, these are the major areas that we can help you with… Is there anything I missed, or that you would want to include to that list?
- Based on our conversation, do you think I have the ability to help you solve your problems?
- Assuming the demo/presentation meets your expectation. Would you want to partner with us in solving your problems?
After exerting effort into prying what your prospect really needs, these questions prompt them to answer you directly and close the deal without being aggressive and coming off as pushy. It is also important to balance being aggressive and compassionate with your prospect. A good day is when you get them to sign and actually close the deal!
Sales Closing Techniques: Practice the 70/30
The 70/30 is an oldie but a goodie. Yes, friendliness and charisma are essential in being a sales rep.
These are some of the strong characteristics people actually look for in their sales team. But don’t mistake them with chattiness. As a general rule of thumb among salespeople, let the prospect do 70% of the talking. Minimize your chatter to 30%.
This is considered as a healthy balance between you trying to make your pitch and hearing out the actual concerns of the other party.
While you should make sure that you are the one steering the conversation (hopefully towards a close), let the prospect dominate the discussion. Take into consideration that it is their concern you are trying to address in the first place.
Additionally, always be mindful that you let the prospect finish speaking before butting in. You don’t want to turn them off by constantly butting in before they are finished explaining their side of the story.
Never underestimate the power of human connection, it is your most powerful tool.
Nowadays, a good strategy is a mix of available resources you have onhand — both offline and online ones. While email marketing software has been proven to generate leads and contribute in converting them to paying customers, it’s not the only tool at your disposal. You have, first and foremost, your sales team. After all, it is your salespeople who personally secure that sought-after signature.
Thus, on top of employing an email marketing software, maximize your sales team. Start by empowering them and sending this article their way!
Read more: 6 Ways to Leverage Sales Call Reporting to Close More Deals