The Answer Is Always “NO” Until You Ask For The Sale

So, you’ve successfully found and qualified a viable prospect and have just completed a successful sales presentation—fantastic! But your sales journey is not over yet.

While prospecting and qualifying are frequently cited as the trickiest part of sales, closing deals is by no means a walk in the park. In fact, the average close rate across all industries is only 19%. That’s less than a fifth!

 

 

How to Ask for the Sale—and Seal the Deal!

Part of why closing is so difficult is that many sales representatives aren’t sure how to ask for the sale. Whether because of low self-confidence, a lack of proper training, or a fear of rejection, many salespeople neglect this crucial step.

With this article, we aim to turn that around!

 

 

Asking for the Sale Can Be Tricky

Asking your prospect for the sale can be somewhat daunting. On the one hand, you don’t want to risk alienating your customer by coming across as too assertive. But on the other hand, if you never ask, the answer is always no. 

What other reasons might stop someone from pushing to make a sale?

 

• Fear of rejection – Opening yourself up to the possibility of rejection can be intimidating. This is especially true for people with little sales experience.

• Lack of confidence – This might come from a lack of proper training, or from having done too little research into your prospect.

• Not knowing how to transition – How do you smoothly transition from talking about the product to making the sale?

 

 

When Should You Ask for the Sale?

Another roadblock for many sales representatives is figuring out when it’s the right time to ask the prospect for the sale. But there are ways to tell whether or not a customer might be ready to make a purchase. Paying attention to the following indicators will help you figure out when to ask for the sale:

 

• Body language – This can be a good indicator of how someone feels. For example, if the prospect is fidgeting, for example, they may feel bored.

• Tone of voice –  Paying attention to what your customer says is crucially important, but you should also take note of how they say it. Do they seem high-energy and enthused about your product?

• Asking questions –  If your prospect asks questions about price, payment options, or the product itself, that is a good sign.

 

Tips to Help You Ask for the Sale

As daunting as it can be to ask your prospect for the sale, it is an unavoidable part of the sales process, so you’ll have to figure out an approach that works for you.

To help make this a little easier for you, we’ve pulled together some handy tips for your consideration.

If you’ve ever reached the end of a sale and realized you don’t know what to say or how to say it, then this advice is for you. Read on and see if you can incorporate any of these hints into your current sales approach.

 

Make Sure You’ve Done Your Research

The first step is to make sure you’ve thoroughly researched your prospect and know exactly what they’re looking for and why they need it.

Likewise, make sure you know your product inside and out so that you can answer any questions or concerns they may have about it.

 

Without knowing the buyer’s needs, it’s virtually impossible to know what approach to take when asking for the sale. That’s why it’s so important that every step of the sales process is backed up by the appropriate amount of research.

 

Practice Active Listening

Showing a genuine interest in your prospect and their needs is another crucial step in the closing process. Pay close attention to everything they have to say and be sure to address all their concerns and objections in full.

By practicing active listening, you will have a better idea of how to approach your client and will feel confident enough to ask for the sale.

 

To make sure you’ve got all the important information and to show your client that you’re really paying attention to what they’re telling you, echo their needs back to them, and don’t be afraid of asking questions.

 

Use Selling Phrases

If you think you have enough information about the prospect and their needs, you should feel confident enough to try and ask them for the sale. However, you may not know how to make this transition.

 

One of the best ways to do this is through using sales phrases. These might take the form of a question or an assertion, and help indicate to the prospect that you have entered the closing phase. Examples of such phrases include:

 

• “Let’s talk about your payment options.”

• “Are there any more questions I can answer for you before I place your order?”

• “If that’s everything, are you interested in making a purchase today?”

 

Don’t Fear Rejection

One final piece of advice is this: don’t be afraid of rejection. Even the best, most experienced salespeople out there don’t have a 100% sales conversion rate. The point is that they still try, even when there’s a chance the answer will be no.

At the end of the day, there are hundreds of reasons why a prospect may say no, and many of those reasons have absolutely nothing to do with you or your efficacy as a sales representative.

 

Try not to take rejection personally and instead use it as an opportunity to learn.

 

 

If You Never Ask, The Answer Will Always Be No

Whether because of a fear of rejection or lack of proper training, summoning the courage to ask your prospect for the sale can be a challenge. But we hope that this article has shown it’s far from impossible.

More than that, we hope we’ve given you some ideas that will help you go ahead and actually ask for the sale.

 

Questions and sales phrases can be used to great effect, but don’t forget the importance of thorough research and active listening.

If you base your approach on this solid foundation, you’re bound to succeed!