Finally, the last part of the sales process…the close.
This is where things can get really hairy – especially if there’s a lot at stake for you. And this is where many salespeople get stressed, afraid, and start going negative.
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We all know what negativity gets us…nothing. Nada. No sale. So training yourself to close without negativity is paramount to your success.
Yes, you are going to be nervous at the time of negotiation and closing. That’s simply human nature. Psychologically, there is a great risk of rejection and as humans, we fear that rejection deeply.
Don’t Take It Personal
The key here is to realize – really internalize – that a rejection is not to be taken personally. In fact, the most successful salespeople learn that nothing in the process is to be taken personally.
By guarding yourself against that fear of rejection, you make closing so much easier. You present yourself with more confidence and less stress, and that makes your prospect feel better about giving you your yes.
Avoid Financial Famine
One way you can effectively eliminate the anxiety of closing is to not rely on one closing to make or break you. In other words, don’t get yourself into a desperate situation.
It’s infinitely easier to close a sale when you’re not relying on that sale to feed your family that night or pay your mortgage.
Work overall in your business to prevent that type of financial famine, and you’ll find negotiation and closing far easier.
Plus, it’s a great feeling when you can say to your prospect, “I don’t do the ‘hard close’. I simply don’t need to.”
Are You In Agreement?
Work to get a few agreements, head nods, and yeses before you begin negotiating the final offer.
This will take a varying degree of time depending on what the product or service is that you offer, but it’ll often have your prospect coming back for more when they see how your offer solves their problem.
It can be a great way to start a longer-term relationship with a customer or client who will be reordering products or services from you.
Listen
Learn to listen to what your prospect is saying. Really hear it. Let it sink in.
Not only will this give you a crystal-clear idea of how your offer can help them, but it solves the human psychological need to be heard and validated.
Repeat
Listen twice as much as you speak, and practice saying back to the client what they state they want and asking for their agreement.
Try your hardest to be on equal footing with your prospect, as opposed to having them feel as if you are their adversary.
Body Language
Make it clear in your body language and attitude that you are there to help them solve the problem they are having.
This is the basis for creating a relationship with your prospect instead of thinking of them solely as dollar signs to be gotten.
Be Empathetic
Learn and practice empathy. Really try to get into the mind and personal situation of your prospect. This helps you gain a true understanding of how you can help.
When you know how you can help, you know what to say when it’s time to negotiate and close.
Mirroring
This is a technique that is helpful during the entire sales process, but especially so during negotiation and closing.
Mirroring is noticing, and reflecting back to the prospect, small nuances of their own physical presence and personality.
It might be a way of speaking, a certain way they gesture with their hands…noticing and then performing these small nuances back to the prospect makes them feel as if you know them as if you are similar to one another.
It’s a powerful strategy, in all areas of sales.
Conclusion
Becoming an effective, successful salesperson is easy when you know how to utilize the psychological ways in which we, as human beings, make purchasing decisions.
In this series, you’ve learned several powerful techniques to use in your sales presentation, negotiation, and close.
While this series is by no means an exhaustive list, you should now have what you need to go into your next sales presentation armed with concepts that will help you deliver, and close that sale.
Let me leave you with these Top 10 Tips for Sales Success:
- Aim to create relationships with your prospects, not just sell to them.
- Study the psychological ways in which people make buying decisions.
- Don’t be afraid to ask your prospect difficult questions.
- You can’t please everyone – cater to those who will appreciate your unique self.
- Utilize psychological biases within your sales process.
- Add reverse psychology techniques to your sales repertoire.
- Collect and use social proof and testimonials about your product or service.
- Prepare yourself for negotiation and closing with a positive mindset.
- Learn to use intuition and empathy when dealing with prospects.
- Mirroring is a powerful strategy in closing the sale.
This post is part of a series – Psychology of Sales: Understanding the Customer Mindset. You can find the other posts here:
- History of Psychology in Sales
- Why is Psychology Important to Sales Success?
- How To Utilize the 10 Most Common Psychological Biases
- Key Psychological Sales Strategies
- Using Reverse-Psychology Sales Techniques
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Very helpful. Thank you for sharing. Sales is something I can really work on.