Have you ever been oversold? Has a salesperson ever talked so much that he talked himself in and then out of the sale? If you answered "yes," you have been the victim of an amateur who thought he could talk you into buying by listening to his brilliance. Selling is not a process of convincing someone to buy. A sale is made when you have probed so well you learn what the prospect wants–and then recommend solutions to their problems.
When you are new to sales, you try to talk people into buying. When you are more experienced, you try to listen for openings and then try to talk them into buying. But professional salespeople are so elegant, they "listen" people into buying.
This not only means you effectively probe for needs and wants. It also suggests you pay more attention to how the prospect reacts to what you say. Some of those reactions are cues from your prospect they have heard enough and want you to move to the next stage of the process. Sometimes these cues indicate they want to buy.
Kevin was referred to John by a mutual friend. The referral was so strong the prospect opened up to John right away, and told him exactly what he needed. John listened to his prospect's needs and then presented exactly what he wanted.
John discussed the product like a master. He tailored every feature and made them into benefits. He was on a roll. John kept talking, and talking and talking. After about an hour, the prospect looked down at this watch and excused himself. He had another appointment. He said, "I'll get back to you later." Was he a bad prospect? No, in fact he went out the next day and bought from a competitor.
The truth is, John oversold him. He talked himself in and then out of the sale. Chances are you are so concerned with what you are selling that you fail to read people and also fail to notice their buying signals.
You can't make money unless you can close. You can't close at the right time unless you can read your prospect's buying signals. If you don't know when to stop talking, you'll sell by accident. Most sales are a complete accident. They occur because you happen by chance to stop talking, and the prospect coincidentally is ready to buy. If you know how to listen, while also possessing some product knowledge, all you need is to stop talking.
As simple as this seems, 70 percent of your sales are lost because you don't know when to close. Knowing when is more important than knowing how. If you have done a good job of gaining your prospect's trust, he will usually close himself. Sometimes, you just have to be sharp enough to ask "What do you think" and then listen to what they say. It often will be, "Sounds great."
But if you try to talk your prospect into submission, you'll find yourself manipulating. When you do that, you'll gain short-term sales and long-term losses. Your customer will ask for a refund a few days later. But the right way to close is to notice the prospect will show you innocuous but obvious cues indicating when he wants to buy. If you miss any one of those cues, you'll miss the sale.
Buying signals are a lot like moving through a submarine. You close the watertight doors as you move to the front of the boat. As your prospect displays buying signals, he is letting you know the watertight doors can close, and you can move ahead. Rarely is a buying signal a sign someone wants to sign the contact right then and there. But it is a cue they want you to move ahead faster.
Here are some of the verbal and nonverbal cues that indicate when you have said enough:
Head nod
This is one of the most basic of buying signals. Even beginners can recognize this cue. I was recently on the island of Madeira in Portugal, talking to attendees after my speech. One guy walked up to the person I was talking to and me and abruptly interrupted our conversation. He kept talking for what seemed like an hour. I looked over to my friend and noticed him nodding quickly up and down.
The bore didn't pick up on this signal and just kept talking. Each of us flashed the look of, "Are you as bored by this guy as I am?" We both smiled in agreement. When you see this cue, you should say, "I sense this is pretty familiar to you." Or you can ask, "Where have you heard this before?" Proud to display his knowledge, your prospect will tell you what he already knows. You can then move on to the next stage in the sales process.
Pupil dilation
Several university studies have tested the hormonal and physical response people have to nude photos of the opposite sex. Whether the viewer is male or female, their pupils will expand to the degree that they are aroused by what the see. I don't think your product will evoke the same excitement as a picture of someone in their birthday suit. But people can't hide their emotions if you know what to look for.
In Las Vegas high-stakes poker, the pros train themselves to avoid showing any emotion at all. They wear sunglasses, so competitors can't see their pupils dilate when they have a good hand. But there are other cues great poker players look for. According to British body language expert Desmond Morris, a player with a bad hand will look at his cards longer if it's a winner. This makes sense because the player is probably thinking about what to draw or discard.
Aristotle Onassis, the late Greek shipping tycoon, was known to wear sunglasses constantly during business meetings. After losing a pair of sunglasses, he postponed one meeting until he could buy another. Women are much better at spotting these cues. Americans in general are the worst at spotting these nuances. Virtually every country's trade representatives have out-negotiated American officials in commerce and arms talks. This is largely because Americans don't yet understand what people say is not always what they mean. And they often mean more than what they are willing to say.
"I want to hold it"
The chin and nose rub
The sitting tremor
signals are statements such as "How much does this cost? Can I get this in blue? How quickly can I get delivery" and "What kind of guarantee does this come with?" All of these are obvious signals your prospect has heard enough and wants to start thinking about exchanging money for what he has listened to.
