Overcome the Fear

From my email:

Closing More Sales More Often

If you want to eliminate the fear of closing a sale then this sales closing tip may help. Getting over the fear of sales closing is paramount to earning more money in less time.

I've been with salespeople on appointments and watched the beads of sweat form on their foreheads. I've seen the lumps in their throats, witnessed their mouths turning to cotton, all a result of having to close a sale.

How feared is sales closing? Research shows that 63% of all sales interviews end with the salesperson not specifically asking for the order. Further, research from Dr. Herb True of Notre Dame reveals that 46% of the salespeople he interviewed ask for the order once and then quit; 24% ask for the order twice before giving up; 14% ask the third time; and 12% "hang in there" to make four attempts before quitting.

That's a total of 96% who quit after four closing attempts, and yet the same research shows that 60% of all sales are made after the fifth closing attempt. Since the percentage of salespeople not asking for the sale the necessary five times equals 96%, it's obvious that 4% are making 60% of the sales.

Much of the fear salespeople experience closing sales could be reduced or eliminated by proper preparation. Preparing for the situations that may arise and having a prepared and practiced response will decrease the fear when it comes time to close a sale.

Professionals in all walks of life practice their craft on a daily basis. Professional athletes practice every day, hitting buckets of golf balls, catching passes, spending time in the batting cage. Ten times as many hours are spent practicing than actual game time.

If you haven't thought out and written down what you're planning to say in every possible sales closing situation and then practiced how you will say it, over and over until it becomes second nature, you're probably part of the 96%. The time to practice is on the practice field, not on game day.

Source: Sales consultant Jim Klein (www.fromtheheartsalestraining.com)

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