When I entered the sales profession in 1995, I was trained to try to close business at the end every sales call. Some people referred to the process as “buy or die.” It wasn’t that extreme, but it was intense. Our bosses would regularly mock us for caring about the impression our prospects or customers had of us after we left: “They are not your buddies, they are there for you to close. Are you afraid of them?”
At that time in my life, I was proud of the guts I had and the conflict I invited to all my sales calls. I was a closer. In my first year, I made the company trip, even though I barely sold anything during my first four months. I never went to a sales meeting or demo without completed paperwork waiting for the prospect’s signature. I never left a meeting without asking for their signature. I was aggressive. I did not avoid conflict. I did not make friends. I closed a lot of business.
Today, I would be a complete failure.
Death of the Impulse Buy
In contrast to 1995, today’s business-to-business buying process is long, complex, and is based on logic, perceived value and endearment. No longer is buying solely an emotional game of wits played between one decision-maker and the salesperson. Today, decisions are made weeks or months in the future by committees, without salespeople being in the room.
When a salesperson ends a sales call today, the audience must view them as a subject matter expert, trustworthy and likeable. All three are necessary, because finding new service providers simply requires a wi-fi connection and about three minutes.
The impression you leave at the end of a sales call is critical to success today. It is that impression that will be despised, forgotten or desired when the committee meets in the future. It is that impression that will drive your point of contact to sell for you with conviction.
Four Steps for Ending Sales Calls
It is the salesperson’s job to end all sales calls with positive momentum, ensuring that everyone is blown away by their knowledge, personality, and transparency long after they have departed. Here is a four-step process to ending a sales call successfully:
1. Take control of ending the call. At about ten minutes before the scheduled end of the sales call, make the announcement “We are approaching our stop time. Since I know all of you are busy, let’s start wrapping up.” Most customers feel uncomfortable taking control of ending the call. When a salesperson takes control, they exhibit respect and confidence – two characteristics that will be remembered.
2. Confirm action items. Before leaving, make sure everyone agrees on the next steps by reading the action items. Assuming there is one or more action item for them, confirm that they can get it done in the time discussed. Of course, be polite about it: “James, is Tuesday too aggressive to get those drawings to me? Do you need more time?”
3. Mention that you need to schedule more time on the next visit. After confirming the action items, and as you are packing your stuff, make a comment like: “We should schedule more time on our next visit. I would love to hear more about your expansion plans. And Susan, I’ll want to hear about your trip to Napa.” You want to appear competent, but you also want to create friendships.
4. Do not linger. Say goodbye and get out. Most salespeople have been trained to keep the conversation going as long as possible. While there may be an advantage to doing this in rare cases, most of the time the prospect is silently annoyed. You are a busy, in-demand, subject matter expert that has places to be!
Chris Peterson is the founder and president of Vector Firm (www.vectorfirm.com), a sales consulting and training company built specifically for the security industry. To request more info about the company, visit www.securityinfowatch.com/12361573.
