Yesterday I was having a conversation with a colleague. As we were discussing the sales process, I mentioned to him my biggest weakness was “closing the deal”. He immediately knew why.
“You’re not asking for the sale,” he said.
He was right. While I am well aware of the fundamentals of selling, sometimes I fail to implement all of the fundamentals into my tactics. Forgetting this important fundamental is perhaps the biggest mistake many people make in sales.
Asking for the sale means you’re being more than just another conversation. It means every conversation you have has a purpose, and you’re steering that purpose towards a purchase. If you’re not asking for the sale, and instead you’re just presenting your offering, you’re setting yourself up for failure.
Examples of how to ask for the sale:
1. Have I given you enough information to earn your business?
2. Are you ready to move forward?
3. Is there anything preventing you from moving forward today?
4. When would you like to start?
5. Can I register you now for our event?
Finally, remember this: The answer will always be “NO” until you ask for the business. Hearing no is a good thing. No doesn’t mean someone is rejecting you or your product/service. No simply means you need to reevaluate your message because you’ve yet to show the prospect the true value needed to convince them to trade their money for what you’re selling.
Every no is a new opportunity to perfect your message and enhance your value proposition statement. So do yourself a favor … ask for the sale!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Tina Bell is the founder of Mended Marketing. She developed her marketing experience serving a variety of industries, mostly in smaller sized companies, where she was hired to build their marketing programs. These experiences provided her the opportunity to wear many hats and learn multiple facets of marketing. She spent over six years in medical marketing, helping build an urgent care business from two urgent care clinics to over 13 clinics in four states. In addition to being well versed in copywriting, grassroots and community marketing initiatives, Tina is a sought after speaker and regularly presents educational webinars. She was ranked the top speaker at the Urgent Care Association of America Conference and spearheaded the development of an online medical training newsletter before she left that industry to start her own marketing firm.
Another Great Article!!