8 ways to close more sales

This will be an 8 part blog. In my coaching practice, I work one-on-one with sales people to help them close more business, faster and increase their profit margins. Over the past few years, I’ve been able to identify a number of the key reasons that can stop even good sales people from closing a sale (many of which I have been guilty of in the past myself!).

We’re going to take a look at some of the biggest challenges that come with sealing a deal, and what you can do to dramatically improve your closing skills. These eight mistakes are ones that many make, but few realize. Even if you think you’re doing well, test yourself. You might be performing below your potential.

1. Fail to build trust

If your prospect doesn’t trust you, 98% of the time, you won’t make the sale.
There are two important things to remember about trust. First, trust extends from you. If you begin the sales process by building rapport so that the prospect starts to like you, they will soon begin to trust you as well.
Second, trust is not earned overnight; it is built through consistent behavior over time. In other words, if you want the prospect to trust you, you need to consistently speak and act in a way that earns their trust throughout your entire relationship. This includes everything from the big things such as never lying or hiding information from them, two little things like calling back when you said you would, sending proposals on time and showing up for meetings prepared with the right information.

All of these actions lead the prospect to believe that you are a person of your word, a person they like and a person they can trust. When they like and trust you, there is a much better chance they will do business with you.

Trust can also be built in a new relationship by giving your prospect testimonials from other successful and happy customers. Use testimonials frequently throughout your dialogue as examples of the great work you’ve done in the past. Encourage your prospects to call your current customers and share with them the letters you’ve received singing your praises.

Stay tuned for part 2.

AC LINKS SALES TRAINING SYSTEM