Remember to Ask for the Business

Before I was in sales, I had a stereotypical image of a salesperson. The first used car salesman I encountered as a young adult is the image that stuck in my head. Excited about my first car purchase on my own, I walked into the dealership. I was immediately swept up by a salesman. After a few pleasantries, he said, "What can I do to get you in a car today?"

For me, that was a huge turn off. In answer to his question, there was nothing he could do to get me to buy a car from him that day. First of all, that was too pushy for me. Second, like many generations of women in my family, half the fun of buying something is in the act of shopping. I rarely buy the first car, pair of shoes, or piece of jewelry I see. I must search for the perfect one. Or, the best price. It's the thrill of the hunt.

Yet, I recently forgot one of the first rules of sales. Ask for the business. I had called a prospective client several times, leaving messages about our company and our services. I just assumed he would call me back. But I wasn't giving him a reason to act. I needed to ask him to do something. I left a message asking him to call me back to set up a demo presentation of our services. Guess what? He called back. It was a step in the right direction.

Today's customers are educated and skeptical. They want to be treated with respect and honesty.

Here are a few tips to help you when asking for the sale:

Be prepared.
One of the best ways to impress a prospect is to know about his or her company and industry. Before you talk, check out the company's website. Do a search about their industry on the Internet to see what's in the news and current issues. Prospects will appreciate that you took the time to get to know them.

Ask great questions.
Get the prospect talking about their specific situation. Rather than trying to force your product or service on them, ask questions that help you gain insight into their needs. Then, you can give informed scenarios about how what you are offering works for them. For instance, back to my used car salesman story, he could have asked me, "What is the most important feature of a car for you?" Or even, "What's your favorite color?" It would have encouraged me to talk about what I wanted, and he could have used that to show me a car I liked.

Watch your prospect's signals.
Sometimes, it's best to stop talking and listen. You may be tempted to keep selling when you should be listening. The prospect may need to talk out loud to make up his mind. Or, he may need to feel certain that you understand what he wants. Let your prospect talk.

Be ready to improvise.
In this world of "have it your way," you may want to give the prospect options. This approach keeps the opportunity of doing business together as the focus of the conversation rather than what might be objectionable. You can let the prospect design the sale around the level of risk that makes them comfortable.

The pushy or slick salesperson isn't necessarily the best salesperson. The one who asks for the business, understands the prospect's company or service, and works with the prospect to meet his or her needs will get the sale. So, rather than asking, "what can I do to get you in a car today," ask "what can I do to help you today...?"