Closing More Sales

 
1. Someone has to have a PROBLEM.  You are in business simply because someone has a problem that you can solve.

2. You must HAVE the solution to their problem.  “Minding your Business” means that you have done what is necessary to create a solution to their problem.  You need to be more than an professional — someone who is paid for what they do — you need to be an expert at what you do.

3. They must KNOW that you can solve their problem.  Once you have identified a problem and developed a solution, you must gain the attention of those with the problem(s) that you solve.  This is called marketing.  It can be hard, it can be expensive, it is absolutely necessary and you can never stop marketing.

4. You must gain their TRUST.   I have spent much of my life encouraging people to trust in God.  One simple piece of advice that I have often shared is that you cannot trust God when you do not know Him, and so I have encouraged people to read the Bible to get to know God better.
In a similar way, we were taught (and rightly teach our children) to never trust strangers.

It is going to be next to impossible to get someone to trust you when you are a stranger to them, because trust is built upon knowledge.
Your marketing must include every element possible that generates trust.

5. It helps if they LIKE you.  Sorry.  This may not seem fair, but it is simply the truth.  People like to buy things from those that they like. Be likable. 

Do what it takes to develop a real interest in them that goes beyond your business.  Be a friend and learn to love your clients and prospects.
We train our business representatives to make friends and not worry about the sales.  That does not mean that they are not trying to get sales, but simply that there is a certain truth and psychology to how sales are closed.

6. They must FEEL that their problem needs to be addressed now.  Once you have accomplished 1-5, there is still a potential barrier to overcome, and that is related to TIMING. 

I am often asked when the best time is to close a sale, and I always respond with “never.”  I don’t try and close sales.  I present a solution to their problem, gain their trust and try to find some urgent reason that they should act NOW. 

They will tell you when they are ready.  If there is no urgent reason for them to buy, there is no legitimate reason that they should.

• Become an expert at what you do
  
• Market yourself thoroughly
  
• Earn their trust
  
• Win their friendship
  
• Be there at the right time
  

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Doug Nevill is the founder of PROSBO of Port Angeles, WA. 
Douglas E. Nevill

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