Are You Totally Over-Thinking Your Closing Questions?
I tell sales people all the time that they are just plain working too hard. So now I’ll tell you – you are working too hard!
You are working to hard to come up with just the right thing to say or ask your buyers. You are working too hard when you don’t know your customers well enough and so you show them too many options. And you are working too hard to craft the best, most clever final closing question to seal the deal when all you really need is to make the question 100% for the buyer.
Stop working so hard and construct your final closing question using these three simple elements.
Element #1: Make Closing Questions Cooperative
Buyers often get panicky when nearing the final close. Fear and doubt start to creep in and when that happens they often retreat even when purchasing is in their best interest.
One of the most important connections we can make with our buyer during the close is the promise that you will be there with them every step of the way. That we will be available even after they sign on the dotted line to answer any questions or follow-up on any concerns they may have. That we will continue to partner with them on any future decisions they will make during the buying process.
Everyone wants to feel like they have a qualified expert who really cares for them helping to guide them through the complexities of a purchase. Provide that relief by simply saying something to your buyer like “I want you to know that I’m here for you. I’m always available to guide you through this and answer any questions you have. You’re not alone in this purchase. We’ll do this together.”
Element #2: Tie Closing Questions Back to Their Mission
If we want a buyer to buy, we need to remind them why purchasing is actually in their favor. We need to empathically and emphatically remind them of the pain associated with not buying and also the corresponding future promise they will enjoy once they move forward.
A noble and effective close will also be in the best interest of the client and their goals. It is imperative then that the close pulls directly from what we learned about the buyer in our mission-based discovery. A stronger discovery will always lead to a stronger close.
Element #3: Ask Strong, Definitive Closing Questions
Strong closing questions and hardcore closing questions are not one and the same.
I believe there is a clear difference in asking a buyer a clear, direct closing question and trying to pressure the buyer into a purchase by asking a threatening or manipulative closing question.
A clear, direct closing question such as “would you like to move forward with the purchase of this X today?” is, in my option, both respectful and clarifying. It is respectful in that it shows the buyer that I believe they are able to buy and clarifying in that it forces the buyer to evaluate the situation and process what they believe is best for them.
Ask a more clear, direct closing question and you will get a more clear and direct answer. Doing that lets both you and the buyer know where you are in the process and how to proceed forward – a win, win!
Again, I think we over-think and over-complicate closing questions. You just don’t have to make it that hard. Tell the buyer you are there as their partner, make it about them and ask a clear question.
Do these three things and you just may change someone’s world.
