Closing the deal. Are you ready?

It may seem unbelievable with all of the hard work you put into selling your products or services, that when the time comes to “close the deal”, too often you like many other business owners are not truly ready for the closing.

You’ve spent months in planning, dreaming, strategizing and scheming, so how can you not be ready to complete the sale, accept the new member or deliver the promised service?
Depending on what you are selling, and make no mistake, if you run a business or organization …you are selling something;  the time will come when closing the deal is the next logical step. If you are not ready, let’s look at some well-known missteps and ways to correct them.  
What are some of the hiccups that can derail a smooth and successful closing?

 For tangible goods it can be little things like:

• Not having a clear-cut company-wide plan in place for closing
• Expecting the buyer to “figure-it-out”.
• Not having transparent guidelines in place or having ambiguous policies.
• Not having a FAQ to help guide your audience and provide answers to common inquiries.
• Not “asking” for the sale.
• No urgency.

For Authors, Speakers, Consultants and Service Providers who are not getting the “close”, perhaps the slowdown is coming because of:

• Not providing a resource screen with “one call-to-action”.
• Not having a system in place to guide your audience to the “closing” stage.
• Not having a solid list of benefits for taking the closing step.
• Not asking for the sale or engagement.
• No urgency.

 
For non-profits that are looking for grants, donations, and supporters, closing can seem to be a hit-or-miss proposition:
 

• Not believing that “closing” is applicable to their nonprofit.
• Underestimating or not understanding the competition.
• Not enough transparency for the audience to make an informed decision,
• Not understanding or precisely following the grant guidelines/process.
• No urgency.  

Beyond not being fully prepared to make a successful closing, INC.com (a leading authority in business solutions), has some additional advice. I’ve listed just three actions they recommend all business types should AVOID when building a closing strategy:
 
·         Believing that sales and promotional materials alone can make a close – Webs, apps, social media, etc. are just tools. Even the most expensive hammer does not drive nails without some human intervention.
 
·         Attempting to close too soon  -  We get it…you’re madly in love with your product (and that’s essential), however assuming that everyone else can’t wait to buy it might cause you to mis-step in the closing process.
 
·         Waiting too long to close. No urgency.  Even when a prospect has a good reason to purchase your product, service or support your cause, it may not happen if you fail to show them why it needs to be done NOW.  Many business owners get caught between “Arm Twisting’ and “Act now”; these two actions are different.  
 
In summary,
A successful closing of a $1 sale or a multi-thousand-dollar grant all have much in common.  The primary ingredient is you and your ability to focus on your ultimate goals.  Closing is what you are in business for or it’s why you started your non-profit.  If you are doing a lot of “talking” and not so much in “closing”, perhaps we can help. 
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We’ve gathered an extensive list of methods to help you develop a winning closing strategy for your specific business category. Follow this link to schedule a chat with me and start gaining more success in closing your deals.