3 Reasons You Can’t Close The Deal

..and what you need to do about it!

Do you know the most difficult time to close a deal, the toughest time to close a sale? Yes, you are right, when you need the sale to close. I don’t care if your best friend or you mother is your prospect, you can bet that if you are desperate for that sale to close something will happen that will prevent it from happening.

It is as if the universe senses our desperation, smells are fear, and is going to do everything in its power to ensure a “slam dunk” completely misses the proverbial basket.The moment we, as professionals and sales associates get ourselves into the position of needing a sale to make our quota or reach our goals you can bet that Murphy’s Law will rear its ugly head and prevent it from happening.

Selling today is different, and if you want to succeed, close more deals, then you need to understand just how different it is. In today’s market place, both the economy and our customers have changed. Today’s economy is not up or down, but shifting, radically changing, and in fact economists agree. Economists say that we have moved out of what is known as a push economy, and into what is known as a pull economy. That shift means that consumers, your customers, have moved into the position of control. They are calling the shots, and they have all the power of who, what, when and how they buy.
Add to that, this newly empowered customer is highly skeptical, squarely in control. No longer are consumers really interested in what we say about our products or services, no they are turning instead to their friends, families and even Google reviews to determine if our products are good, and if we are “worth” buying from. They are far more interested in our reputations and the experience they have, then they are in traditional advertising and selling tactics.

So if we know that both the economy and our customers have changed, wouldn’t it make sense then that our sales strategies need to change? Doesn’t it make sense that you need to change your approach and up your game if you want to close more sales in this economy?

3 Big Reasons You Can’t Close The Deal (and what you need to do about it!)

1. Lost in the White Noise – today’s consumers may be in control, but to the tell the truth they are overwhelmed. This global economy, the internet, and the increases in competition have burdened today’s consumers with too much choice. To them, we all look the same. What we sell has become a commodity, but how we sell it our competitive advantage. You need to give customers a reason to choose you, stay with you, and buy from you. To sell anything, you need to stand out from the competition, and if you want to close more sales you need to proactively manage your reputation, and the customer experience. You need to attract the business before you ask for the business.
2. Sales Lifestyle – remember consumers are in control of where when and how they buy, not you. So in this economy patience is a virtue and the need for instant gratification is a curse. If you push your prospects in this economy, they will move on and buy from someone else. So if you want to close more sales, you need to take more turns at bat. Selling for you needs to be a lifestyle not a task. You need to be constantly networking, connecting, building relationships and asking for business. The more turns at “targeted” turns at bat you take, the more deals that you will close. There is something about a salesperson who is calm and confident when a deal gets delayed, that ensure that the next six deals coming behind it will close without a hitch. In today’s economy you win when you sell from a place of power, you lose when you sell from a place of need.
3. Customers First – in today’s economy the worst sales person on your team is you! Oh calm down, I am not insulting your ability or your skill, it is just that I told you consumers today are different. They are no longer interested in what we say about our products and services, no instead they are turning to their friends, families and even Google reviews. So if you want to close more deals, you need to be putting more time and energy into caring for your existing customers. The better their experience, the more they trust you and the more value you add to their relationship, the more they will tell other people. The more they tell other people, the more deals you are going to close.

Yes, these are at best challenging times, but it does not mean we can’t succeed, build our businesses or close a lot of sales. This economy is different, your customers are different, so take a different approach to how you sell, and sit back as you not only close more deals, you will enjoy doing it.

What reasons have you found that deals might not close, and what have you done about it? Leave a comment and let us know.

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