Improve Closing Rate

So you want to improve your closing rate. Here are our top 10 suggestions.

  1. Flowchart your sales process so you are consistent. Most people do not have a documented sales process. Take the time, or get some help to create your process in a flow chart.

  2. Qualify leads. Here again, many companies do not qualify leads hoping that face to face they can close the sale. A simple qualification process helps them buy and saves you time.

  3. Measure your closing rate. What gets measured gets done. Keep track of all opportunities and how many closed. You can get really sophisticated statistics with this that can really help your marketing investment and sales process.

  4. Build know, like and trust. People buy once they know, like and trust you. What are you doing to get them to know you, like you and trust you. One suggestion is to ask questions and listen.

  5. Provide testimonials or customer reviews. We are becoming very reliant on customer satisfaction ratings to help us make buying decisions. This is a good strategy for increasing trust.

  6. Provide a written guarantee. This again is a strategy to increase trust. Check with your lawyer and insurance provider to have them help you create your guarantee.

  7. Share your magic story with team member profiles. Often the most read page on a company website is the “about us” page. Share your unique story to help people get to know you and like you. Also, include profiles of your team. Here again provides a way to get to know, like and trust who they will be working with.

  8. Provide a menu of products or services with pricing. Having a menu of your services makes buying easier. Imagine if you went to a restaurant and had to wade through an interview and recommendation in order to buy your meal. Is that what you’re doing to your customers?

  9. Define your uniqueness and provide a benefits list. What makes you stand out above the competition? What makes you unique and different? Perhaps you are family owned. Perhaps you have a unique process or product. How do these benefit the buyer?

  10. Begin planning or educating on the next step in the process. One closing technique is to begin sharing the next step in the process. This is not a trick, it actually helps the buyer understand your process and begin imagining themselves in that situation.


Big list of random ideas that may help increase closing rates:

Show before and after photos / demo's

Show samples or example photos

Display your awards / certificates

Follow a sales script

Develop an account application

Pre-send an appointment reminder

Offer payment plans or financing

Take credit cards

Re-write your quote or proposal into an action plan

Use a prospect questionnaire

Let them try before they buy

Educate prospect on your value, not the price

Provide a timely response

Increase your product knowledge

Follow up and follow up again

Ask for the sale or confirm the sale

Make it easier to buy

Survey your past customers

Survey people who don't buy

Target better prospects

Provide ideas and advice

Develop your own product line or service

Sell an exclusive offering

Increase your range or variety of products or services

Provide higher quality product or experience

Create a quality brochure or menu

Provide detailed information sheets

Make an added value offer

Make an offer

Improve your packaging or create bundles

Offer mail order or home delivery

Create a point of sale display

Track your daily / weekly cost breakdown

Create a video sales demo

Send interesting news articles

Create and publish your company's vision

Heighten dress standards / utilize uniforms

Greet prospects and use their name

Introduce yourself

Educate prospect on how to buy

Sell on their emotions and dreams

Provide refreshments

Entertain, wine and dine

Train your entire team in sales / customer service

Provide team incentives

Provide a 1st time buyer incentive

Improve office, vehicle and team appearance

Accept trade-ins

Offer bulk buy specials

Use scarcity and availability limits

Hire some or more sales or telemarketing people

Collect all prospect contact and demographic information

Stay in touch on social, text, email or phone calls

Be a giver to get back, reciprocity

Offer factory or site tours

Improve your company profile and business cards

Always have stock on hand

Offer your prospect exclusivity

Allow prepayment

Set sales goals

 

We’d love to hear your ideas too.

Marc DionComment