Closing Sales Over The Phone

Is it possible to close those big deals over the phone? Yes! But only if know these tips:

First of all, it requires supreme confidence, conviction, and certainty in the value of your product or your ability to provide the service desired. You can’t fake it. And don’t think the customer can’t tell the difference. They can smell a fake a mile away. Closing a big deal over the photo is not one of those, “fake it till you make it” situations. Either you bring your “A-Game,” or you go home empty-handed.

Because the customer has only your voice to rely on for trust and confidence, you have to be MUCH better than you are in person. Even if you have to practice with another person or get in front of the mirror, do it until you can’t get it wrong. You won’t regret it.

You can even do a “premortem” and examine all the things that could go wrong and practice handling each on one. Do this until you are totally comfortable with any variable or unexpected surprise that might come up. Even then, something may come up which can throw you a curve and squelch the deal.

Everybody knows you have to listen more than you talk, but do you want to know the most valuable tip in phone selling? It has to do with voice inflection. It is the make-break point of phone sales. This makes all the difference in how you are perceived on the phone.

Believe me when I tell you it’s worth it. Over the past many years, I’ve closed six figure deals over the phone many times, and so can you; if you’re willing to let me help you. Here’s an example of a fail safe closing technique:

Question: “What would it be worth to you to eliminate this problem completely?” followed by “What would that be like?” or “How would that affect your life?”

Answer: “It would be worth anything!”

Your response: “Well, you’re in luck, because my fee is nowhere near that expensive, and it’s far more valuable.”

Answer: I’m sold!

If you still think it can’t be done, contact me: danjacobsconsulting@gmail.com.

What are you waiting for? Do it now!

Daniel Jacobs, 2017

Are You Overselling?

There is truth in this old saying, “In theory, there’s no difference between theory and practice. But, in practice, there is.”

Applying this concept to whatever you’re selling, can illuminate an important fact.

In theory, it’s easy to assume that the customer is interested in every feature, advantage, and benefit of your offering. But in practice, they’re not. Just because they ask you what time it is, doesn’t mean they want to know how to build a watch.

In practice, you can easily talk yourself out of the sale by presenting everything you know when the customer only wants to know three things.

1. Are you worthy of their trust?
2. What makes your offer worth paying for?
3. Can you deliver what you promise?

By focusing on only these three points, you will discover the true essence and value of your product and what the customer really needs and wants to know before making a purchase.

Stop overselling the product and you’ll close more sales. Get it?

Daniel Jacobs
theinnergameofclosing.com

SELLING starts with establishing the purposes of the SALESPERSON! What are you trying to do? Impress them? Or move them? What is your attention on? Your commission? Or serving the customer? Make sure you’ve got your priorities straight BEFORE you start selling.

The next step is to find people to talk to. No people = no sales. It is a  step of the sales process where you distinguish between who is a suspect and who is a prospect. The latter represents a possibility, not so with the former.

Once you’ve found a prospect, establish agreement and trust. Hint: If you don’t trust yourself, neither will they. What is their purpose for looking? or shopping? or buying? Establishing and aligning with their purpose will come in very handy during the selling process and especially at the close.

A wonderful thing about customers is they only buy when what you’re offering it is what they need or want. If you can discover their need and show how you can fill it, they tend to be inclined to want it. This is the best way to increase your chances of closing the sale.

Some salespeople can only follow orders. They take the customer’s order and fill it. Order-takers do not cause the sale to happen.

Other salespeople are presenters. They know all the features and advantages of the product or service and reasons why this is the best value in the market. Sometimes they actually can bring the presentation to a close, but they are not closers. Presenters generate feel-good excitement and increase demand but sealing the deal requires a different set of skills.

CLOSING is the process of helping customers get past the hidden internal barriers stopping them from getting what they REALLY want. If you’ve done your job and fully completed each prior step, closing is just another one in the process. If you run into confusions or frustrations or push-back, you’ve skipped a step in the process. If you run into a “stop” then realize that something reminds them of a purpose that they failed to achieve some time earlier. You handle this by shifting their attention to what they hoped to get and the objection will disappear.

The final step is to smoothly and comfortably collect the money and complete the paperwork, making sure they’re still smiling.

Daniel Jacobs, 2017

Your Sound

A musician deals with sound. Their sound is their signature, their identity, their voice which facilitates communication of their message. It is something that stems from inside and it distinguishes you from anyone else.

What is not widely recognized is the fact that your sound is a reflection of what you hear internally before you play the note. Practice hearing the note mentally before you play it. Or practice humming the note while playing it, and what comes out will sound more like you.

If you seek to change your sound for any reason (warmer, brighter, darker, less effort, more projection), first change yourself. Internal change always precedes external change, and your sound will change without effort as you change yourself first.

‘jes sayin’ 🙂

Daniel Jacobs

WIIFM?

What’s the most important thing to the customer? It’s the Customer (stupid)! 🙂

 

And what is the easiest way to remain customer-focused? Use this mnemonic (memory aid): “WIIFM” or “WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME!?”

 

Read this every time before you meet with a customer and it will keep you focused on the only thing that is really important to the customer: THE CUSTOMER!

 

Daniel Jacobs

thenaturallawsofclosing.com

The Golden Rule of Selling

The Golden Rule in trade has been proven a safe, sound and paying policy.

 

Salesmen who sell goods have to sell themselves first.

 

We give no orders to people we regard as possible rogues, cheats, pretenders, and hypocrites. Diplomats who resort to violence are salesmen who have failed to sell themselves.

 

In order to “sell yourself” you must be both buyer and seller. You must in imagination put yourself in place of the other man. Then only can you do unto others as if you were the others.

 

Personal quarrels and national wars mean that somebody wasn’t big enough to live up to the Golden Rule.

 

– by Elbert Hubbard, circa 1900

Two Quotes (from my still unfinished new book)

1. Don’t start talking before they’re ready to start listening.

2. Stop talking before they stop listening.

Daniel Jacobs
thenaturallawsofclosing.com