You may be doing lots of quotes and only converting a low percentage of them into paying jobs.  If this is the case you may think that your sales technique needs some work and you need to learn some high pressure closing scripts.  You know.  The ones the car sales guys seem so good at.

Chances are focusing on the “close” is the wrong place, however.  By skimming over the earlier stages of the sales process you are trying to make a sale to someone who is just “interested”, rather than someone who has a strong “need or desire”. There is a big difference between having an interest and having a need or desire. If your customers have a need or desire, and they want to do something about it, they buy. If they don’t, there is probably no sale. Early in every sales opportunity you must know the following:

  • What is the customer’s lifestyle, situation or problem?
  • Why does the customer need your particular service?
  • When do they need the project completed?
  • Who are the decision makers?
  • How do they go about making decisions?
  • What is their financial situation?

If you don’t have answers to each of these six questions, because you have skimmed over the early part of the process, the sale never closes. You may think you have an opportunity, but you don’t. You call every few days – or weeks – and are always told, “We’re still thinking about it.” Weeks or months later, after placing a dozen phone calls, you’re finally given the bad news, “Thanks, but we’ve gone with someone else.”

By putting more effort into the needs analysis part of the sales process and asking qualifying questions, need development questions, and economic consequences questions, you can pre-qualify your prospects before you spend ages putting a quote together. If the prospect gives answers that match what you think they should be, it leads to an appointment and a higher probability of a sale.

If the answers don’t measure up, there’s probably no reason for getting together.

You’ll see fewer people, but will close a much higher percentage of them. And the type of sale you make will likely be better aligned to your core strengths or passion as well.  Visit my website and make contact with me to learn ways to improve your sales process and convert more leads into business:  www.tradescoach.co.nz