There is one simple question that should be asked at the end of every sales presentation or sales meeting. There is no need for “icky” high pressure closing techniques, rather a simple question that allows the customer to reveal their thoughts and feelings about the solution you have just shared with them.
Hi, Mark here, and in this short video I’m going to share with you that one simple question that will have a massive impact on the effectiveness of your sales meetings this year. Over the last few days I have spent a lot of time at the beach. It’s been absolutely glorious weather in Sydney, and so I spent a lot of time taking the kids to the beach. Now Sydney beach is the car parking is challenging to say the least, but you’ll notice driving into the car parks that there are two distinct styles of car park finder shall we say. There is the driver that sits up at the beginning of the car park waiting for parking spot to open up, that they can then drive down to. The second type is what I call the prowler. The prowler is the driver that goes slowly, moves slowly down through the car park, looking for people approaching their cars and waiting patiently for them to get into their car and then drive out so that they can drive in. Now in my experience, the prowler has far more effectiveness and far, dare I say, lucky at getting a parking spot than what the first type of driver is.
The first type of driver is waiting on blind luck in the hope that a parking space becomes available, and more importantly, that no one else is going to take it before they get there. Whereas the prowler is actively hunting and out pursuing a parking spot, and I use the word pursuing definitely for a reason, because that’s exactly what they’re doing, they’re pursuing an opportunity to park their car. Now what they’re doing as they see people approaching their car or see people in the vicinity of a car, they’re asking the all important question of are you leaving, are you making that spot available so that I can drive in there. They’re creating their own luck, they’re actively hunting, and that makes all the difference.
Let’s convert that to a business scenario, a business situation. In business, you have the option of either sitting there waiting for clients to come to you, or you can actively get out and pursue them and find opportunities. Now I hope for you and for your business that you are in the pursue model, where you are actively chasing down opportunities and chasing down clients and potential customers. What often happens though is pursuers will miss that final step. In the car park people will ask other, drivers will ask the people approaching their cars, “Are you leaving yet?” In a business sense, in a sales situation, you need to be doing exactly the same. You’ve gone to the effort to find that opportunity, to find the opportunity to pitch your products, your services to a potential client, at the end of the meeting, the one question that you need to ask that many people shy away from for that fear of rejection, is “What would you like to have happen next?” You ask the client, what is the natural next step?
You don’t have to come up with some ridiculous closing techniques, assumptive close, a closing technique to try and force your products and services onto the customer. If you delivered a great pitch, if you’ve delivered a pitch which demonstrates that you now understand the client’s problems, you can show that your product, your service, whatever it is, solves their problems and solves it in a way which is going to be beneficial for them, the natural question that you need to ask that will get you the sale, that will get you the next step is to ask the client what do they want to see happen next. What is the natural progression for them? By simply asking that question there, you will get a far more positive response.
Sadly, many people just deliver their pitch, they show how good their products and how good their services are, and expect that that’s going to be it and the client will just whip their credit card out and hand it over. It doesn’t work like that. You still need to as the question of what do you … When you’re asking a client, “What do you Mr. Client, or Madam Client want to have happen next?” At that point there, they will give you the answer and tell you how you can proceed with the sale. So that’s the simple question that will have a massive impact on your sales this year, so go ahead, in your next sales meeting, make sure at the very end you ask the question. You’ve laid everything out, you ask look, your potential client, what would they like to have happen next, and you’ll see a massive increase in your sales.
If you want more sales advice, more help, then go check out my website at the publicspeakingskillsacademy.com where you can download my free seven step sales pitch formula that will help you double your sales. So go click on that now and get access to that simple formula that will help you improve your sales pitch, couple it with this question at the end, you’re going to be in for a very big year.
