Improve Closing Rate
So you want to improve your closing rate. Here are our top 10 suggestions.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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?
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.