There is lots more to closing the sale of your house than just asking for the cashier's bill of sale. In this installment on closing the sale, I will discuss: When is the right time to sell? What buying signals do you need to look for? And what are the signs that you are being too hard on yourself? In this last part on closing the sale of your house, I will address these questions and more.
The best time to close a sale is when you have done all of the preparatory work and can truly say that you have made every step to ensure that this is the sale that you have wanted to make. Unfortunately, selling your house involves close to adhering to timelines, budgets and other responsibilities. As the purchaser, you will also need to be available to close sales. This may require that you spend extra time on the phone with prospective buyers, meet with them to explain your reasons for selling, and to check out the property. If all goes well, you should be able to wrap up the process within one week.
However, it is important to remember that no matter how motivated you may be, it is never too soon to begin the sales closing process. In fact, many salespeople thrive on the momentum of the first few steps. They know that the closer they get to the end of the sales process, the more eager they will become to close the deal. This gives them an advantage. It means that they can really push the boat out at the very beginning of the process, which can mean pushing the prospect beyond what they might be comfortable with at this point.
One of the signs that you might be pushing the prospect too far at the beginning of the closing process is the amount of time that you seem to be devoting to the prospect. You may find yourself spending several days on the phone with different prospects. While some are easy to close, others seem like they are almost impossible. The key is to remember that there are only a few people involved with each call.
There is no right or wrong way to go about closing the sale with a prospect. Some salespeople prefer to put the prospect on the line first, while other salespeople work the phone a few times a day. Some salespeople use specific closing techniques (or a mix of specific closing techniques and general cold calling) while others work the phones in a more generalized manner. What is most important is that the salespeople are comfortable with the prospect and can move them into making a purchasing decision.
As you probably know, sales presentations require the closing of a deal to take place. When that happens, a series of buying signs must occur for the sales presentation to take place. These buying signs often come in the form of a trial close. This is a session in which the prospect is asked to make a final buying decision, agree to a purchase order, or even agree to enter into a contract. It is during a trial close that many salespeople make their biggest and most important mistakes.
A typical salesperson's mistake is thinking they have closed the deal when actually they have not. A typical salesperson's mistake is assuming they have closed the deal when really they have not. The salesperson should close with a closing technique that is congruent with what the prospect agreed to do. For instance, if the prospect said they would pay X amount by a certain date, the salesperson should say to the person on the phone that if the amount is not paid on the agreed date, then the person who agreed to the contract will lose the money. If the salesperson was on the line and the client was unwilling to agree to anything, the salesperson should say that the client needs to close by a certain date. While closing is an important part of the process, making sure you are closing on what the prospect agreed to do goes a long way towards closing the sale.
Closing your call based on closing the sale is a common mistake for salespeople. Clients expect and need to be led to believe, that you will close based on the results of your call. Therefore, the ideal client profile consists of clients who want to be contacted and asked to do business. If you want to close more business, and close quickly, the best approach is to focus your energy on closing the most prospects possible.