Four Obstacles to Closing
By:
Brian Tracy
Fear of Failure
There
are several other reasons why the end game of selling is stressful and
difficult. First and foremost is the fear of failure experienced by the
prospect. Because of negative buying experiences in the past, over which you
could have no control, prospects are conditioned to be
suspicious, skeptical and wary of salespeople and sales approaches. They may
like to buy, but they don't like to be sold. They are afraid of making a
mistake. They are afraid of paying too much and finding it for sale
cheaper somewhere else.
Fear of Criticism
They
are afraid of being criticized by others for making the wrong buying decision.
They are afraid of buying an inappropriate product and finding out later that
they should have purchased something else. This fear of
failure, of making a mistake in buying your product, is the major reason why
people object, hesitate and procrastinate on the buying
decision.
Fear of Rejection
The
second major obstacle to selling is the fear of rejection, of criticism and
disapproval experienced by the salesperson. You work long and hard to prospect
and cultivate a prospective buyer and you are very reluctant to say anything
that might cause the prospect to tune you out and turn you off. You have a lot
invested in each prospect and if you are not careful, you
will find yourself being wishy-washy at the end of the sale, rather than risking
incurring the displeasure of the prospect by your asking for a firm
decision.
Customers Are Busy
The
third reason why the end of the sale is difficult is that customers are busy and
preoccupied. It isn't that they are not interested in enjoying the benefits of
your product. It's just that they are overwhelmed with work and they find it
difficult to make sufficient time available to think through your
recommendations and make a buying decision. And the better
they are as a prospect, the busier they tend to be. This is why you need
to maintain momentum throughout the sales process and gently push it to a
conclusion at the appropriate time.
Inertia is Hard to Break
The
factor of inertia is the fourth reason that can also cause the sales process to
come to a halt without a resolution. Customers are lazy and
often quite comfortable doing what they are currently doing. Your product
or service may require that they make exceptional efforts to accommodate the
change or a new way of doing things. They perhaps recognize that they would be
better off with your product, but the trouble and expense of installing it
hardly seems to make it worth the effort. They see no
pressing need or urgency to stop doing what they are doing and start doing
something else with what you are selling.
Everyone Buys at the Same Time
The
good news is that everybody you meet has bought and will buy, new products and
services from someone, at some time. If they didn't buy from you, they will from
someone else. You must find the way to overcome the natural physical and
psychological obstacles to buying and then hone your skills so that you are
capable of selling to almost any qualified prospect you speak
to.
Action Exercises
Now,
here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into
action.
First, recognize the normal fear of making a
buying mistake experienced by the customer. Give him every reason you can
think of to be confident in dealing with you.
Second, accept that everyone you talk to is busy and you are interrupting.
Always ask if this is a good time for him to give you his undivided
attention. If not, arrange to see him another
time.
I share this with all of you in an effort to build confidence and to give you needed closing skills for your opportunities. Remember a no really means next.
To your success,
Gerald English
http://www.geraldenglish.ws
Skype: geraldenglish
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