New Year's resolution: Close more sales

If boosting sales tops your list of New Year's Business Resolutions, you might want to search out Stacia Skinner. She makes closing the sale easier by paying attention to – and verifying – what her prospect wants.

“People overcomplicate sales,” Skinner says. “Sales should be a very natural process that you wind up by saying something like, ‘It makes sense to me for us to get together. What do you think?'”

In fact, by the time the sales process gets to the proposal stage, you may not need a traditional proposal at all.

“The proposal should be just a formality,” Skinner says.

A veteran sales trainer and president of Creative Training Solutions Ltd. in Mount Prospect, Skinner puts the gathering and verification of information about a sales prospect's needs at the core of her selling process.

Begin by collecting knowledge. Explore the prospect's website. Ask your network for insights and information. Check databases. But be aware that Skinner believes the prospect will be your best source.

For today, we'll assume you've researched the prospect company, gotten to the right buyer and are about to open the conversation in your first meeting.

“Give me an idea about what you're looking for” is a favorite Skinner opening tactic. “Ask in-depth questions,” she suggests. “Show the person how you can help them do their job better.”

While you're talking, you also need to be listening – and, probably, taking notes. That's so you can verify the information you think you've heard before you leave the meeting.

Verifying the prospect's needs involves a simple, although vital, review statement that essentially concludes the first meeting – and helps turn prospects into clients. “Just repeat what the person has said,” Skinner says. “‘Based on what you said, Jim, you need this, this and that.'”

If you missed something or misinterpreted what your prospect said, the based-on-what-you-said verification will get you back on track.

When you've verified the type of help your prospect needs, set a date for the next meeting. In Skinner's process, the next meeting is when you wrap up the sale.

“Your objective,” Skinner says, “is to get that next meeting. ‘Let me put some thoughts together and come back next Tuesday. How is Tuesday at 2?'” is the approach she suggests.

“Don't ever let more than two weeks go by between meetings,” Skinner says. “Too much time kills deals. They'll forget you. You want to control the date and the time,” for the follow-up meeting.

Between meetings, create a discussion outline that lists the prospect's concerns and your solutions. Based on the needs you verified at the first meeting, the outline is an informal, easy to adjust document that sets the stage for your almost casual it-makes-sense-for-us-to-get-together close.

• Questions, comments to Jim Kendall, JKendall@121MarketingResources.com.