When to Confirm

When does one confirm the sale? When have you earned the right to ask this most feared and sacred question? The answer remains elusive, subject to broad interpretation, often founded on your interpretation of perceived buying signals. The majority of sales literature suggests confirming, When the prospect is ready and communicates a buying signal, or, When the buyer appears ready. I have always marvelled at the ambiguity in terms of when to confirm. Several authors suggest that you rely on little more than your own perception of body language and discrete buying signals to interpret when theyre ready to buy. Unless body language or buying signals are very obvious, you run the risk of misinterpreting the customers nonverbal communication. I agree that body language is a powerful component of the communication model, but not as the sole method of interpreting when to close. Everyone is different, just as behavioral flexibility suggests, each individual has a unique body-language style (Chapter 6). Socializers adapt their body language differently from Directors but they could be thinking the same thing. I dont think that we can apply a universal set of standards to effectively and accurately interpret body language.

When discussing body language at my seminars, I often notice a participant leaning back in his or her chair with arms folded. I ask the participant not to move and point out their posture to the class. The class usually agrees that the school of body language would have us interpret that posture as detached, uninterested, and guarded. I then validate my theory by asking the participant with folded arms, Are you comfortable? The answer, not surprisingly, is usually, Yes. My suggestion is not to concern yourself with body language unless its obvious or unless there is a drastic change during the sales call. Let your customer be comfortable without interpreting posture as a negative buying signal. The only real body language that I respond to is if my customer gets up and leaves the office. Then I clue in that perhaps the call isnt going as well as Id hoped.

So, when do you confirm the sale? Confirm the sale when you have successfully bridged a minimum of two features to benefits. You have now earned the right to ask. One bridged benefit is usually not enough to convince them to buy, which is why I suggest a minimum of two. If the customer says yes, thats great. Go to Step #8. If they say know, then go back to feature fishing and continue to bridge. As we can appreciate, each customer is different. Some only require two benefits to confirm, others may require several. Once again, customers may simply need to know more before they say yes.

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Nine Tips for Confirming the Sale

1. Ask a confirming question only after you have effectively bridged a minimum of two appropriate features to benefits.

2. Help people make buying decisions by pointing out how your value-added solution will benefit their business.

3. Highlight how the benefits outweigh the costs; create value.

4. Successful confirmation isnt an isolated tactic, its creating value throughout the Sequential Model.

5. If you cant confirm, you didnt successfully complete a prior step-planning, discovery, or presenting a creative, value-added solution.

6. Before asking for a decision, expect customers to say yes-mentally picture them saying it.

7. When you ask people for a buying decision, be quiet until they respond.

8. A confirming question asks for a decision. A trial close such as, What do you think of my presentation so far? calls for an opinion.

9. If you cant make a sale, make a friend.

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Doubling Your Close Ratio

Recall that approximately 80% of purchases occur after the order has been requested five times and yet only 10% of salespeople ask five times before quitting. Likewise, 40% of salespeople ask only once, then quit. These 40% quit for a variety of reasons: impatience, the craving for instant gratification, poor follow-up, no time-management system, or just simple laziness. There is no doubt that these statistics are shocking, but customers are the victims of these lackluster performances on a daily basis. Imagine having to confirm five times before you get a yes. That means, on average, there are four knows before a yes. Thats a lot of work! Some authors suggest selling is a numbers game: talk to ten people, get five presentations, close two deals. That sounds like a lot of work-not selling very smart. It bears out the fact that the average close ratio is only 20%. That means, on average, salespeople close only two out of ten potential opportunities. Funny, I always thought selling was about people, not a game with winners, losers, and average, mediocre performances. Dont fall victim to the numbers game, condemning your career to a life of mediocrity. Dont measure your success against the masses. By comparing yourself against the averages, you only fuel a false sense of productivity. I say set your own standards. Dont take pride in being average-its too easy and not very satisfying.

Remember that confirming is not an event but a process that begins within minutes of meeting the customer. Customers are very quick to pass judgment, wasting no time deciding if you are likable and trustworthy. The first step to doubling your close ratio is to ensure the first six steps of your sequential model have been completed to the customers satisfaction.

Hence, if close ratios are a meager 20% that means the customers ratio is 80%. Ouch! Customers are closing more often than we are. They sell us on the concept of not doing business with them. They offer a multitude of excuses, objections, and justifications all in the interest of selling us their no. The problem is we are too quick to accept their rejection and with a bruised ego return to the adult day-care center to lick our wounds and seek support. Sound familiar?

So, what is a good close ratio? I would suggest that as a sales entrepreneur your target should be no less than 40-50%. That means if you approach ten potential customers, ones with a need and a bag of money, you should confirm at least four to five. Sound daunting? It isnt. Some top-notch sales entrepreneurs are confirming up to 75% of potential customers.

Start by evaluating your current ratio. Track it for a month or two and reality will quickly reveal itself. It may not be as high as you think it is. If yours is higher than 20%, congratulations, you are in the minority. But I will remind you, your objective is 40-50%. Proper execution of your Sequential Model will certainly contribute to doubling your current close ratio. It simply means building rapport and trust as you navigate through the first six steps of your model coupled with the confidence to ask for their business. Customers expect to be asked; dont disappoint them. They get irritated by reps who fail to complete the sales call with no direct close. You represent a solution to their needs, so the only