Why Closing a Consultative Sale Can Oftentimes Come Down to Timing

The dialogue between the salesperson and the prospect should illuminate when the time is right to seal the deal.

The craft of relationship building is a common theme I often hear discussed at industry events I attend, whether during informal chats at networking activities or educational sessions about how to close a sale. Want to turn a prospect into a customer? Then you’ll need to develop a relationship that provides value to the customer.

Consider this quote from Dale Carnegie that somebody once hipped me to:

“Thousands of salespeople are pounding the pavements today, tired, discouraged, and underpaid. Why? Because they are always thinking only of what they want. They don’t realize that neither you nor I want to buy anything. If we did, we would go out and buy it. But both of us are eternally interested in solving our problems. And if salespeople can show us how their services or merchandise will help us solve our problems, they won’t need to sell us. We’ll buy. And customers like to feel that they are buying – not being sold.”

An independent installing security contractor’s ability to foster and maintain a tight relationship with a customer is maybe the single biggest competitive advantage they have over national marketers and other competitors, I frequently hear.

I mention this as a prelude to a consultative sales tip I happened upon online that underscores why timing is a key factor to closing a sale. Sales authority Maura Schreier-Fleming contends that “nothing makes selling harder than when you are talking with prospects who are not ready to buy.” You’ll know they are not ready to sign on the dotted line “if they are unaware of a need to make a purchase,” she writes.

Schreier-Fleming uses home alarm sales as an example of why a lack of customer awareness can dictate selling strategy. In the interest of brevity she puts forth a simplistic case in point, but the gist here is clear enough:

Your strategy would be educating prospects with a lack of awareness about security needs. You could ask about their need for peace of mind if they had children home alone after school. You could show prospects police statistics in their neighborhood. Your prospects might be unaware of the need for a home alarm system.

Ultimately, a sales professional will want to clearly identify “drivers,” Schreier-Fleming writes, something that causes you and your products or services to be needed. The more you can get the client engaged in conversation and establish a relationship, the likelihood increases you’ll be able to uncover those drivers – and nail the perfect time to make the sale.

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About the Author

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Although Bosch’s name is quite familiar to those in the security industry, his previous experience has been in daily newspaper journalism. Prior to joining SECURITY SALES & INTEGRATION in 2006, he spent 15 years with the Los Angeles Times, where he performed a wide assortment of editorial responsibilities, including feature and metro department assignments as well as content producing for latimes.com. Bosch is a graduate of California State University, Fresno with a degree in Mass Communication & Journalism. In 2007, he successfully completed the National Burglar and Fire Alarm Association’s National Training School coursework to become a Certified Level I Alarm Technician.

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