Tag: sales close

Hi David!

After studying your sales strategy, I can say that I can now make a fair number of sales. HOWEVER, the problem I’m experiencing now is that I can’t seem to KEEP the sale! In the past month four people have contacted me 3-4 days after I’ve sold them, and told me that they needed to back out.

What am I doing wrong???

Thanks so much!!

One of the most overlooked parts of a sales conversation actually happens AFTER the sale has been made.

Let me explain.

Once the sale has been made and you have received a deposit, it is crucial for you to continue the conversation by telling them what to expect.

Example:

“You know, you’ve just made a big decision to invest in yourself and grow. And we know that anytime your ego feels threatened you will create circumstances in your life to get you to change your mind or to stop moving forward. So let me ask you something. What’s going to cause you to change your mind?”

This accomplishes two things. It lets them know what to expect so if they start to create chaos, they can quickly identify it for what it really is. And second, if they decide to change their mind, you can resell them using their own words.

Example:

“When we spoke a couple of days ago, you said that overwhelm can derail you. Now you’re telling me that you are overwhelmed and can’t move forward. Isn’t this interesting? Your ego is paying a mind trick on you, so let’s go back to the truth…. (and then you re-engage them in the resale conversation).

If you end your conversations using this technique, you’ll find that your new clients will feel well informed and will be more likely to stick with their initial commitment.

PS: The Neagle Code: Directions for Life is a weekly no-cost program that is open to everyone! Each week, I'll select and personally respond to one question received via the above “The Neagle Code” page that I feel in my heart will help the most people. (You may choose to remain anonymous if you wish, with our full support.) It is my deep, heartfelt intention that ~ in answering your questions ~ I may provide you with the Universal Truths that in committed application, will set you free. Simply submit YOUR burning question at: www.DavidNeagle.com/ask-david to participate.

In this series, I’ve been showing you how to close sales in 15-20 minutes. That’s how long it should take you to ask the four main questions of the discovery conversation, which I shared with you last time.

If you asked the fourth question, “How badly do you want your situation to change,” with a compassionate authority that encourages your prospects to be authentic, they’re likely to have an emotional reaction.

They may be in tears. They may be excited. Or somewhere in between. But however they respond, by that response, you will know whether or not they’re in.

Secure the Sale
Let’s say they are going to buy. That’s the outcome I’m fully expecting you to experience as you apply these five pillars.

With their authenticity, with their laughter or tears, they’re saying to you, “Yes! This is what I want. I’m committing to you emotionally. Give me a directive as to what to do.”

In a moment, I’ll demonstrate the wording to use, but what you need to do at this point is secure their commitment. Ask them for their credit card number.

Ideally, you can turn the call over to an assistant, who can get the number, give the person a contract, and get him or her on your calendar.

But whether or not you’re the one taking their details, it’s crucial that after you secure their commitment and before you get off the phone with them, you take the next step of creating momentum.

Create Momentum
Creating momentum means that you give them something to do that gives them an immediate taste of the transformation that’s to come.

If you don’t create momentum for your clients right away, if they have to wait weeks before your event or program begins, they’re very likely to go into buyer’s remorse and start wondering if they’ve made the right decision.

So give them a step of their solution immediately, perhaps an exercise to do, and at the end of the call, briefly describe the powerful outcome the client should expect.

Commitment + Momentum = Powerful Outcomes for All

For instance, I might say:
“That’s great, Helen. Give me a credit card, and let’s get this going. I’m so excited for you right now that you’ve made this decision. Your life is going to be so different over the next year that you’re not going to believe it.

“I’m going to pass you on to Liz, now, who is going to get every call for the year set up for you and give you the first exercise I want you to do. So we’ll be set up for our very first call, and I’ll talk to you in a couple of days. Sound great? Perfect.”

That’s it.

Don’t go fishing for doubt by asking them if they have any questions. Any questions they have can be dealt with after the call.

Leave them on that high note of feeling that they’ve gotten what they wanted.

Let them relish in their commitment and the beginning of the powerful momentum that will take them where they’ve been wanting to go for a very long time.

The quickest way to make sales and build your business is through public speaking — provided you craft your speech properly, that is.

And that’s what I’ve been showing you how to do in this series.

It’s time now for you to put these eight steps to work. To help you with that, here is a summary of all of them again. [To read the complete articles, revisit my blog.]

Step 1: The Grabber

Begin your presentation with a bold statement about the promise of your work that grabs the attention of the room and doesn’t let go.

For example, “How would you like to make five figures in sales from the stage, every time you speak?”

If you’re interested in speaking for the purpose of sales, your attention will be riveted on what I’m about to say.

Step 2: Lay Out the Game Plan

Orient the audience by briefly telling them what you’re about to do.

For example, “Over the next hour and a half, I’m going to share with you my eight-step formula for crafting presentations that will have your audience lined up in the back of the room.”

Step 3: Lay Down the Rules

In order to make sales, you have to control the room, and to do that you need to lay down the rules, the most important of which is no questions.

Step 4: Establish Your Credibility

Build your foundation for massive back-of-the-room sales by proving that you are worth your audience’s time, attention and investment.

Do this with a powerful introduction by your host (which you write), and by offering live or written case studies and/or testimonials of people who attest to the value of your work.

Weave your testimonials seamlessly throughout your talk as examples or stories.

Step 5: Transition Smoothly to Your Story

After you’ve begun to establish through case studies and testimonials that you’re worth your audience’s attention, you want to keep that attention by making a smooth transition to your story.

For instance, if I had just told the audience how my client Elaine made $96,000 in 18 days, I might say:

“I know that a lot of you may be thinking to yourself, ‘How can I do what Elaine did?’ The answer to that question eluded me for most of my life. In fact, when I first started out, I was sick, broke and had a terrible attitude.”

Then, I start telling my story.

Step 6: Tell Your Inspiring Story

When you’re speaking for the purpose of sales, your inspiring, rags-to-riches story of how you came to be where you are and know what you know, is central to your presentation.

People listen with their ears, but they hear with their emotions, so your story must come from your heart and be emotional.

Unless the audience is emotionally invested in what you’re doing, you’re not going to sell them a damn thing. But if they are emotionally involved, they’re very likely to buy.

Step 7: Transition to the Close

I don’t move into the close until I determine that the audience is ready to buy. And I test their interest and engagement throughout my speech and again right before I close.

I’ll ask, “Is this making sense?” while raising my own hand, and seeing how many audience members are raising their hands as well. This tells me how many people are with me.

Until the majority of the hands go up in response to that question, I keep transforming my talk.

But once there’s a sea of hands in that room, I transition smoothly to the close.

Step 8: The Close

Finally, start by talking about the specifics of your product or program, focusing on the results purchasers are going to get, and how easy and doable your program is.

Once you’ve sold them on the results, about 85% into your close, signal to your assistants that it’s time to pass out the order forms.

The Final Word

Listen, you don’t have to be perfect to make sales. Just do the best that you can, and be authentic.

If you are true to yourself, while following these eight steps to a tee, you will be successful.

There should be a clamor for the back of the room ~ and a very nice payday for you and your promoter ~ when you step off the stage.

If you want to have a prosperous close, you have to control the sales environment. Again, the close is the portion of your presentation that is specifically devoted to selling your product or service.

One of the quickest ways to lose control is to pass out your order form too early.

Picture it. What do you do when someone hands you a printed form? You start reading or scanning it.

So, if you hand out your form before you’ve had a chance to sell the audience on the specifics of your program, you’re going to lose them to their own thoughts and reaction to your prices.

You want them to feel excited and inspired by the results they’re going to get from your program before its price even enters the equation.

That’s why I say sell them on the results first, and then about 85% into your close, signal to your assistants that it’s time to pass out the forms.

Under no circumstances should the audience have the order form in hand before you even start your speech. That is sales suicide. The audience would just shut down, thinking you only want to sell to them, and wouldn’t listen to you at all.

Low Barrier to Entry

On your order form, don’t make it difficult for a person to buy your product or service.

You want your form to be clear, easy to read, and with a low barrier to entry, which means simple and manageable payment plans, a written service guarantee, and all of your contact details.

It's also a nice touch to have a photograph of yourself printed on the form for personalization.

If you have an ezine or a newsletter, you can also include a paragraph that, as part of their purchase, they’re getting a free subscription. Just make sure to use a professional ezine service, so that it’s easy for them to opt out later, if they choose.

Get What You Need as Well

Before the buyers leave your table, read over their form and be certain that you’ve collected everything you need to process their order ~ credit card number, name, address, phone number, and email address ~ and be sure that you can read it.

There’s nothing worse than getting home and finding incomplete credit card numbers, missing phone numbers, and illegible email addresses!

Just take a minute to read it over before you thank them for the order. You’ll both be glad you did.

They Want What You Have

You have to remember that your audience actually wants the information that you have ~ and they’re willing to pay for it. All they’re really looking for are these five things:

Are you credible?
Have you done this in the past?
Do you have good results?
Is it a good product?
And is the price right?

By this point in your presentation, you’ve covered four out of five. Unfortunately, the fifth is often a swing and a miss. That’s why I’m going to show you the best ~ and proven ~ pricing strategies next time.

If you’ve applied Steps 1-6 of my formula for a live presentation that sells, you’re rounding the bases and getting ready to slide into home.

You’re now ready for “the close” ~ the portion of your talk that is specifically devoted to selling the product or service that will be available in the back of the room after your presentation.

Many speakers get to this point and choke.

They’ve done a great job sharing their story and weaving it into their teaching (Step 6), but then when it’s time to transition to the close, they get awkward and lose momentum.

They seem to have forgotten that the purpose of their presentation is not to teach, but to sell.

Structure Your Teaching to Sell

To help avoid that problem make sure that the teaching portion of your talk is tightly related to the program you’re offering in the back of the room.

For instance, you’re teaching them two or three of your seven steps for doubling their income in 60 days, or one of the five ways to have the relationship they’ve always wanted.

Your teaching, then, is selling. It entices the audience, shows them what’s possible in their lives and businesses, and leaves them wanting more.

That way, the close becomes a natural extension of your teaching, and your program the answer to their desire.

Step 7: A Smooth Transition

When your teaching and close share the same goal of selling, transitioning from one to the other is easy. Just say something like this:

“For years we’ve been perfecting this information, doing everything that we possibly can to make it simple for you to implement it into your life right away. And we’re really excited to be able to offer that solution to you today.”

That’s all there is to it.

Step 8: The Close: Make It Doable

Now, just start talking about the specifics of your program, focusing on the results they’re going to get, what they’re going to learn, and how it will impact their lives.

Convey the strong impression that you have laid it all out for them as much as possible.

Without being deceptive, emphasize how easy and doable your program is.

Don’t overwhelm or confuse them with extraneous detail they don’t need in order to make the decision to buy.

For instance, if you’ve got a program on relationships, the people in your program are going to have to do internal work to get to the point where they’re having great relationships.

But, during the close, don’t talk about all of that internal work. They know they’re going to have to do some work, so you don’t have to highlight that fact.

If you make your program sound complicated or difficult, your audience will tune out and you will lose sales.

For the 15 or 20 minutes of the close, focus on how they’re going to benefit, and how easily your program will guide them to those results.

By the way, you’re delivering this information before you pass out your order form. I’ll pick it up here next time.

You could follow my 8 steps to the tee and still shoot yourself in the foot when it comes to sales, if you don’t also heed the advice I’m going to give you over the next several weeks.

You need to set yourself up for a prosperous close before you even touch a foot onstage. Again, “the close” is the time during your presentation when you specifically sell the program or service that will be available in the back of the room after your talk.

The Ideal Environment
The first thing you have to do is to create and control the close and sales environment, so that it’s conducive to selling your product or service.

That means you have to negotiate with your promoter or the person who invited you to speak to make sure that the following things are in your contract. Or, if there’s no contract, that you have a verbal agreement around the following:

1. Dedicated 15-minute break. There must be a break after you speak, where nothing else is happening but the opportunity to buy your product or service. To clarify that even further, I also put in my contract that I won’t speak before lunch or dinner, or before a raffle or a drawing.

You don’t want to compete with their hunger. You don’t want to compete with anything. When you are done with your talk, the only thing you want the audience to do is to dash to your table to buy what you’ve got.

You also don’t want to give your presentation after a cocktail hour. The last thing you want is a bunch of people in the room who have been drinking. I put that term in my contract too.

2. You will break the room. You should be the one to announce the break. You don’t want anyone else getting up there and breaking the momentum you just spent 90 minutes building.

You want to be the one to say, “We’re going to take a 15-minute break now. And I’ll be in the back of the room to answer your questions.”

Educating Promoters
Since you generally will have a 50/50 financial split with your promoters, they’re likely to be amenable to those terms, but sometimes you do have to educate them.

For instance, if they want you to be the last speaker before lunch, you could say, “Well, I could, but then they’re going to be more interested in going to lunch than in purchasing stuff in the back of the room. So, that literally could cost us 30% or 40% of the sales we would have earned. That means you could lose $20,000 or $30,000.” That will get the promoter’s attention. He or she will now be in favor of your doing whatever you say you need in order to get the sales.

Obviously, you’ll have more credibility and clout if you’re not pulling figures out of the air. They should be real and provable estimates.

You get those credible figures by knowing what your conversion ratio is and the correct way to calculate it. (Many speakers do it incorrectly.)

To learn how to do that calculation and get the clout you’ve actually earned ~ and deserve ~ catch my next article in two weeks.

If you’ve applied Steps 1-6 of my formula for a live presentation that sells, you’re rounding the bases and getting ready to slide into home.

You’re now ready for “the close” ~ the portion of your talk that is specifically devoted to selling the product or service that will be available in the back of the room after your presentation.

Many speakers get to this point and choke.

They’ve done a great job sharing their story and weaving it into their teaching (Step 6), but then when it’s time to transition to the close, they get awkward and lose momentum.

They seem to have forgotten that the purpose of their presentation is not to teach, but to sell.

Structure Your Teaching to Sell

To help avoid that problem make sure that the teaching portion of your talk is tightly related to the program you’re offering in the back of the room.

For instance, you’re teaching them two or three of your seven steps for doubling their income in 60 days, or one of the five ways to have the relationship they’ve always wanted.

Your teaching, then, is selling. It entices the audience, shows them what’s possible in their lives and businesses, and leaves them wanting more.

That way, the close becomes a natural extension of your teaching, and your program the answer to their desire.

Step 7: A Smooth Transition

When your teaching and close share the same goal of selling, transitioning from one to the other is easy. Just say something like this:

“For years we’ve been perfecting this information, doing everything that we possibly can to make it simple for you to implement it into your life right away. And we’re really excited to be able to offer that solution to you today.”

That’s all there is to it.

Step 8: The Close: Make It Doable

Now, just start talking about the specifics of your program, focusing on the results they’re going to get, what they’re going to learn, and how it will impact their lives.

Convey the strong impression that you have laid it all out for them as much as possible. Without being deceptive, emphasize how easy and doable your program is.

Don’t overwhelm or confuse them with extraneous detail they don’t need in order to make the decision to buy.

For instance, if you’ve got a program on relationships, the people in your program are going to have to do internal work to get to the point where they’re having great relationships.

But, during the close, don’t talk about all of that internal work. They know they’re going to have to do some work, so you don’t have to highlight that fact.

If you make your program sound complicated or difficult, your audience will tune out and you will lose sales.

For the 15 or 20 minutes of the close, focus on how they’re going to benefit, and how easily your program will guide them to those results.

By the way, you’re delivering this information before you pass out your order form. I’ll pick it up here next time.