Indecisiveness. It's in young couples picking out activities for their first few dates, it's in first-time car-buyers walking around the lot, and unfortunately, it's sometimes in clients buying print or promotional products.
It can be immensely frustrating. Weeks spent on research, on pitches, on meetings and dinners and more meetings, only to have the deal fall through at the last minute because the client couldn't make up his or her mind. "Sorry, but we've decided we want to do some comparative research with other vendors." "Sorry, turns out I can't spend that much of my yearly marketing budget." "Sorry, I'll have to run this deal past my boss." Whatever the excuse or stall tactic given, it always means the same thing: You're out time, you're out money, and you're possibly out your last dose of extra-strength Advil—unless, that is, you excel at "closing the deal."
It's a cliché phrase to be sure, almost to the point of meaninglessness, but stepping back from the years of business jargon, there is an art to closing deals—and it's well worth studying. From learning how to remove objections to working on your honesty and thickening your skin, there's a lot you can do to make sure the only time you hear a client say "I don't know" is when it's immediately followed by " ... how to thank you for doing such a good job, but here's the piles and piles of money you asked for." If that sounds good to you, then here's where to start.
NURTURE HONESTY TO GROW SALES
Sometimes, honesty really is the best policy. (For clients on the fence, anyway.) Rick Greene, western regional vice president for HALO Branded Solutions, Sterling, Ill., explained how honesty can be a powerful sales tool for converting indecisive clients.
"I go for the bold and simply ask the honest question, 'What is between the "maybe" right now and a "yes" that will let us proceed with the order? What is preventing us from starting on this project? Please, be frank with me and let's either move it forward or move on,'" he said. "Often you discover they aren't the final decision-maker or they have a friend in the business. Sometimes, they are just busy and don't want to have to make a decision until the dust settles," he explained. "But they often appreciate the direct question and it frequently results in a 'yes.'"
A benefit to the honest approach is that it trains clients to be forthcoming with you immediately, not only saving you time and headache, but also helping you solve any buying objections they have. "The older repeat clients already know they can be transparent with us (if they don't, we haven't taken the relationship to that golden place yet) and will tell us what the road block is," Greene commented. "Knowing what is in the way is very helpful in moving that out of the way and getting the order."
BE PERSISTENT
Closing the deal isn't always an immediate thing. If you've been turned away by a big client, don't be afraid to keep after them. With persistence and a solid strategy, you can sometimes regain what you've lost.
"I had a salesperson whose largest account for 10 years was one of the major cruise lines," said Greene. "She lost them after an order went bad and 10 years later bemoaned the fact of what once was in the palm of her hand. I had her use my Bullseye method of targeting large accounts—touching that account once a week, every week, in different impactful ways—until you land them [or] get them back," he explained. "After three months of effort, she won this large account back and got an order for $77,000 for crystal awards. She continued to work with them for many years."
BE AN IRRESISTIBLE PROBLEM SOLVER
Buyers may not always respond to great ideas, or even what they need most, but when it comes to what's hurting or frustrating them, they're likely to commit if you have solutions for reducing said pain. Eliminating pain is a powerful buying motivator, and by focusing your pitches around the concept, you can make your offers far harder to turn down.
Paul Kiewiet, MAS, industry speaker, coach and executive director for the Michigan Promotional Professionals Association (MiPPA), has made focusing on customers' pain points a core component of his sales approach. "I'm selling solutions to a problem, so I focus on the client's pain points, how long they've had the problem and how they're going to feel when they move forward to solve the problem using the solution I'm proposing," he explained. "I'll back up my proposed solution with successful case histories and focus on why it's good for them to act now. After all, if they had a headache and they could take the aspirin now or wait a few more days, which would they prefer to do?
"You focus on the customer and the customer's need," he said. "Find the pain. Be the aspirin. If you're selling solutions, it matters more for the customer to buy than it does for you to sell."
- People:
- Paul Kiewiet
- Rick Greene
- Places:
- Michigan
- Sterling, Ill.