Working Wounded: How to Make That Sale Now

Customers stand to lose sometimes when they wait to make a purchase.

ByABC News
March 24, 2008, 11:10 AM

March 27, 2008 — -- Dear WOUNDED: I'm tired of customers who aren't in any rush to buy. How to do you get someone to buy, NOW?

ANSWER: My dad was a car dealer for 49 years. Growing up I spent untold hours listening to customers haggle over the price of a car with him. Haggling, a staple in the car biz, is suddenly not just for car dealers. A recent newspaper article revealed that Home Depot has trained its salespeople to be more "entrepreneurial" in negotiating with customers.

Haggling, competing with the Internet, the down economy -- sales are tough today. But it's still possible to get customers to buy, you've just got to get smarter in how you close the deal. I've listed thoughts about how to nudge your customers toward making that purchase, today. For more, check out Dave Anderson's book "How to Deal With Difficult Customers" (Wiley, 2007).

If you've ever bumped into a commission salesperson at the end of the quarter, undoubtedly you've experienced "help-I-need-a-sale" halitosis.

I understand the need to make a sale but my sales mantra has always been "never let them see you sweat." To continue to paraphrase that deodorant commercial, you must be "confident, dry and secure." Here's a novel concept, make it more about their needs and less about your wallet. A sure sell.

In the old days you controlled the information so you could drive the sale. Those days are gone. Customers have done their Internet homework and are often willing to delay a purchase. So give them something more than a virtual experience, break open the box to let them actually hold the product. Appeal to senses not available online. Ask, "Why wait, and pay shipping, when you can take it home right now?"

Customers aren't telling you objections -- they're telling you their fears. Rather than allowing objections to be the most painful part of a sale, realize customers are telling you all the things that potentially hold them back. See this information as the road map they need to travel to close the sale. Do they fear the reliability of the product, then explain your warrantee. Service a concern? MapQuest the service location nearest their home. Make them an offer they can't refuse and you'll meet your quarterly sales quota.