Asking for the sale more often and more pointedly is often the number one way to improve sales numbers. Many people don’t do the ask for a variety of reasons such as not wanting to hear “no,” not confident in their service offering, and even lacking a clear understanding of their sales process. So, if sales are low, work on making some improvements and simply asking for the sale.
However, low sales can also be attributed to the opposite reason. You could be asking for the sale too much or too forcibly which leads to declining results. How do you know? The signs are often there. They may be subtle but knowing what to look for can help.
Here are Some Key Signs
- Customer Fatigue. If the customer starts to show signs of annoyance, disinterest, or even physical fatigue during interactions, it might be a sign that you are pushing too hard or too frequently. These can be evident through shorter responses, delayed replies, or a lack of enthusiasm in their voice or body language.
- Last Minute Objections. An uptick in objections or new objections late in the sales process can be a sign that the customer feels pressured.
- Decline in Engagement. If engagement levels drop – fewer questions are asked, slow or no reply to calls or emails, or hesitancy to schedule further meetings – it might mean the prospect feels overwhelmed or hassled.
- Stalled Sales Process. If you notice that despite multiple attempts to move the sales process along or to close the sale, you can’t get to the close, it might be a sign to ease back and reassess your approach.
- Decline in Relationship Quality. If the relationship starts to feel like it’s going south and more transactional and less friendly, often accompanied with a noticeable change in the tone of communications, this could suggest pushing too hard.
- Feedback from Customers. Direct or indirect feedback, where customers express a desire to slow down the process or mention being in contact with competitors, can signal the need to adjust your approach to asking for the sale.
To find the right balance in frequency of asking for the sale requires a little science and a little art. A clear strategy can help maintain a healthy sales pipeline while also enhancing customer relationships in the long term.
Keep These Points in Mind When Asking for the Sale
- Focus on building value and trust. Through a consultative and relationship building approach rather than a transactional approach, you can show the value of your offering and help your prospect trust it.
- Tailor your pitch to the customer’s personality and buying style. Knowing how they see the world can help you customize your approach better and work at their speed and style.
- Be observant to changes in their behavior and feedback. When you see changes, try to empathize and put yourself in their shoes and see your sales process through their eyes. If they look uncomfortable, ask yourself what might you be doing to cause that discomfort?
- Give it the time it needs. This is the hard one especially if you work on a quota basis and tend to procrastinate or have a driven sales approach. If you tend to push, you always run the risk of pushing too much and pushing your prospects away. If you can change your mindset, become the turtle rather than the hare, you can get better results as you learn to go slower to go faster!
