By Todd Duncan

In part one of Closing The Sale Without Begging, we discussed the first two steps of how to close a sale by earning your customer’s trust.

Step 1. Be Original: Say something new.

Step 2. Be The First To Add Value: Adding value is the key to closing the sale in any industry.

To close a sale effectively our actions must lead to buy-in first. If your prospects don’t trust you, they will remain reluctant to buy from you no matter how many times you ask for their business. It’s simple: buy-in must come first or you will have to beg to close a sale. And handouts are no way to earn a living, especially when you don’t have to. Now onto step 3 of Closing the Sale Without Begging.

3. Be The First To Say Thank You.

Leave no doubt in your prospects’ mind that you consider it a privilege to meet them and have the opportunity to meet their needs. Without assuming that your prospect is ready to buy your product, make it evident that even if they choose to “think about it” in the end or even not buy the product, that you would still treat them with the same level of appreciation and respect. Always appreciate the opportunity to meet your prospects’ needs, not just their “yes” to doing business.

4. Respect Your Prospects’ Time.

Never assume that your prospects’ time is your to waste. Don’t drop into a feature-dropping rant. Do not move forward with any step in the transaction without first asking them if that is what they want to do. Demonstrate a genuine respect for your prospects’ time, and as a result, they’ll typically not have a problem spending more time with you, in turn, giving you more time to close the sale.

Ultimately, never take a single step toward closing the sale until you have first asked your prospects’ permission. By the way, don’t ask until you have already done the free three steps on the list. Asking your prospects whether they want to move forward without giving them a reason to want to move forward, makes you seem presumptuous and over-aggressive.

5. Don’t Stop Once The Sale Seems Imminent.

If during a sales transaction, you’ve done the previous four things on the list and it seems that you’re going to close the sale, don’t become overeager and forget yourself. Never assume that your prospect is going to buy. Even if you think the transaction is going well, don’t let that cause you to let up on setting yourself apart, adding value, being appreciative, or respecting the prospects’ time.

These steps should just be a part of how you do business, regardless of whether the prospect buys or not. It’s one thing to do everything right in order to get the prospect interested, but it’s another to remain consistent when you know you’re about to close the sale. Once you’ve closed the sale, don’t stop doing these steps. Consistency in your character is vital to your efforts in building trust.

In conclusion, when your authentic actions create an environment that breeds buy-in with your prospects’, closing sales tends to become an afterthought. That doesn’t mean that you won’t still have to ask for a prospect’s business. It just means that asking won’t be a chore. It won’t be begging. Closing the sale will be the natural conclusion to your prospect interactions and the natural beginning to your client relationships.

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