Phase 5—Closing the Deal in a Natural and Ethical Way

Renato was able to overcome his customer’s objections successfully by finding an agreement that has strengthened their mutual trust. Everything would be going swimmingly, were it not for the fact that he and his customer are failing to come to the point where a purchase is imminent. Renato is concerned that the positive relationship he’s established may be ruined when he attempts to close the deal. He is also afraid the customer will say “no” and is anxious that all the good work done so far may come to nothing. He would then have to justify the outcome to his boss and colleagues. He knows he has to close the deal, but does not want to do it by applying too much pressure or showing just how important the sale is for him. How can Sales Ethics help?

The closing of the deal is the natural and happy consequence of a series of actions that start with building a good relationship and peak with the presentation of a carefully crafted offer tailored to the motivations and needs of a customer thanks to the work in the preceding phases.

When the customer has fully understood the value of your product or service, realized how he can use it to improve his work or his life, and resolved all his doubts and uncertainties, the time has come to close the sale!

Many sales remain suspended or are even lost because the salesperson is reluctant to close the deal and hesitates just within reach of the finishing line. Their fears and uncertainties take over and they falter before passing the last and perhaps most difficult test with the customer. The first sale is undoubtedly like a sort of final exam that your customer puts you through, as though they were saying “OK, I’ll trust you this time, but don’t let me down.”

The purchase is the moment that every salesperson awaits with trepidation. Inside Renato’s mind, and that of his colleagues, this stage of the negotiation represents a decisive goal, where they are ready to go all in to resolve any conflict of interest³² between themselves and their customer.

If you have followed the tips we’ve given throughout the book, however, you should have figured out that not only do your goals and those of your customer are not on conflict, they actually support each other. It should also be clear that the moment of purchase—albeit essential—is the sum of the entire relationship between you and your customer, which will continue even after this stage whether it ends happily with a purchase, or if your customer decides not to buy this time. Stay calm and remember that the salesperson leads the negotiation and that your professional expertise lies in your ability to reach a deal with determination and naturalness.

Practice and experience will hone your skills and permit you to pace the negotiation so you know when it is the right moment to ask the fateful question “Would you like to buy it now?” You must be careful not to attempt to close the deal too early and seem aggressive, but equally do not put it off too long or you risk losing your customer’s attention.

You will have to become a bit like the expert Italian chef who knows just when it’s time to drain the spaghetti so it is neither too hard nor soggy! Fortunately, there are tools to help even novice cooks: You can consult the cooking time on the box; you have a timer and can give it a taste. Even the most inexperienced salesperson may rely on some signs they will pick up through observation.

Sometimes the deal goes so smoothly that the customers themselves say, “Well, I’ll take 100” or “OK, I want to do this course with my coworkers—when do we begin?” Other times you will have to clearly ask the question “Do you want to place an order?” or “Shall I take your goods to the checkout counter?” before you finally hear the customer say “Yes!”

The guidelines and suggestions that follow can be used to help you ethically manage the last stage of the sale. Figure 5.4 will help you to frame the key concepts more clearly.

Figure 5.4 Finalizing the deal

Transmit Confidence

The customer also realizes that the negotiation has reached a crucial stage!

A series of doubts and hesitations are lingering in their head, “Am I making the right choice?” “Is this really what I need?” and even “Why does the salesperson want me to buy this particular product? “Is it in my interest or theirs?”

It is your professional ability to stay focused and transmit confidence that convinces them of the validity of their decision, and helps them overcome the perceived conflict of interest. Words, however, are not enough, you must back them up by maintaining a helpful and patient attitude and using a reassuring tone of voice and don’t forget to look your customer in the eye.

A customer who is hesitant and uncertain must absorb your confidence (confidence you have gained thanks to resolving any personal identity conflict) and be aided in their decision.

Any choice is difficult—it implies giving up one thing for something else and taking on responsibility. It is therefore a challenging process, as mentally we prefer things to accrue and find it stressful to give something up or initiate changes that upset the status quo.

In this phase, you must align your idea of the value with that of your customers so you have no anxiety when dealing with them. You’ll have to abandon the idea of selling as a competitive performance between two opponents contending to maximize their own advantage, and remember that unless you create value for each other your goals remain unfulfilled. Let’s get down to the nitty-gritty and see how to tackle the three biggest obstacles to confidence: identity conflicts, conflicts of interest, and the fear of getting a no.

•  Solving identity conflicts: It is now useful to go back to the list you drew up at the start of the book, when we asked you to make a list of the things you look for in the exchange with your customer. How many of your personal goals have you already achieved at this point? Again, bear in mind that a sale is much more than an exchange of material things. Moreover, if you are to transmit the confidence that your customers need to resolve on a purchase, your goals and actions must be consistent with your values: You must first respect yourself if you are to bring value to another. It’s time to express, not hide, your humanity and demonstrate your talents to the people with whom you interact without fear of judgment. Sales involve, above all, people-to-people relationships even if the context is professional.

•  Solving conflicts of interest: Have you really understood what benefit your customers want to obtain from the purchase? Will your offer system provide that benefit? You’ve probably figured out that the person in front of you is not only seeking the best price but also much more besides. If you notice that your prospect still suspects you and keeps wondering what your real goals are, state them clearly. This will be the chance for customers to understand that your objectives are not in conflict with their own. “Why do you want to convince me to buy this very expensive product?” is a question you can safely answer with, “Because I want you to be completely satisfied and to come back and buy from us again. From the analysis of your needs I concluded that this is the right product for you and I’m sure you will thank me for this choice.” Your goal is not just to earn a profit, but also to satisfy your customers and maintain your relationship over time, two things you will have in common!

•  Overcoming your fear of getting a “no”—Many salespeople experience a deep and irrational fear of performance in their work. They are so afraid of receiving a no that they avoid pressing on to close the sale. When the customer says no, this is not an attack or refusal of you as a person; the no is not an absolute failure, just as a yes does not provide the consecration or confirmation of your infallibility. Any ethical salesperson must expect there to be times when the customer refuses their offer. Sometimes—despite your excellent work in grounding the relationship, properly analyzing needs, capably presenting arguments, and providing the right answers to objections—the customer does not accept the proposal. The reasons for this may be varied. Perhaps they have no immediate use for your proposal or wish to prioritize other purchases, or maybe it’s just not the right time. Your relationship with the customer is not necessarily over and, as we shall see in the next chapter, after a nonclosure, it is crucial to analyze systematically the different stages you went through in order to identify what happened and what you could have done better. Remember also, how much value you have earned from the exchange: You have acquired information, received confirmation of your skills and knowledge, and laid the foundation of a good relationship. Ethical Salespeople are brave and intelligent and can consider both success and failure in a healthy perspective. They have the strength to let a sale go, because they know that a forced win can be worse than an apparent defeat, as in time this may assure the victory in the final round.

The Final Agreement

We will now present two of the most effective techniques for getting a yes, ferrying your customers toward the satisfaction of their needs, and permitting them to pocket the value generated by the exchange. These techniques are the propulsion you should give to your customers to overcome, in their own interest, any lingering concerns or uncertainties.

•  The as if technique: This involves leading the conversation with the customer as if they had already accepted your offer and focusing on what will happen after, in order to better understand the real value created. You can provide a foretaste of the consumer experience by helping the customer imagine they are already enjoying the benefits, for example, “Do you think you’ll take a trip in your new car straight away?” Where are you thinking of going?” This technique can also work indirectly when the customers themselves ask details regarding after-sales services. Should this happen, you would be delighted to realize that, in their head, your customers have already decided to buy and are seeking further reassurance before giving a firm yes.

•  The giving a choice technique: This technique helps undecided customers, who are struggling to choose, to make the right decision to satisfy their needs. It is based on the assumption that when the mind is faced with two options, it is more likely to choose one of two rather than reject them both. You may thus propose two alternatives to your customers, both of which will ensure benefits for them, to facilitate their choice: “Do you prefer a manual or automatic model? “Are you considering leasing or a long-term loan?” This is equally valid when you are trying to set up a meeting with a prospect over the phone: The most effective technique is to assume they will meet you and are aware that this will benefit them (as you are planning an encounter to find out how you can help them). Once again, provide two options when deciding a date for your meeting: “I can pass by either Monday or Tuesday next week, which suits you best?”

Collecting Feedback

While you are busy providing positive alternatives to your customers and focusing their attention on the after-purchase by exuding confidence, do not forget to continue in your practice of, what we call, active listening. You still need some further tips on how to collect feedback from your customer who can indicate if the pace you set in the run-up to finalization was right or if instead you should slow down or even stop to resume the transaction later.

The feedback you receive might even reveal that you have to retreat to an earlier stage because you have partly misunderstood your customer’s needs and motivations. Following we provide the necessary tips to solicit, catch, and interpret the signals that customers give.

•  Ask questions to check: Asking questions in the closing stages of the deal enables you to pursue a twofold objective: engage the customer and check that you are going the right way by making sure what you are saying is interesting or significant for them, “Is everything clear so far? “Do you like this color?” “Is this what you had in mind?” are all questions that enable you to receive input from your customer while directing your negotiating technique.

•  Read weak signals: In the final stage, you must further hone your skills of observation because your customers will be sending out subtle but unmistakable signs that indicate if they are ready to complete the purchase. Here is a list of the most common ones:

•  They reflect without speaking.

•  They spontaneously repeat what you said, especially the benefits.

•  They ask for further information.

•  They ask confirmation of the price and payment terms.

•  They call on someone else to decide (a spouse, superior, or boss).

•  They ask for delivery details, renewals, after-sales services, and so on.

•  They pick up the contract or the product.

At this point, you must resist the temptation to further extoll the virtues of your offer and finalize the deal. The more you say at this stage the greater the risk of awakening doubts or objections in the mind of your new customer.

•  Manage the silence: There is a moment in all negotiations that should be considered sacred—when the customer remains silent. This is the time when customers are going over and assessing what they have heard and assimilating or reorganizing their ideas to make a choice. Ethical Salespeople know how to manage and respect this pause for reflection. They remain calm and relaxed, giving the customer the necessary time to make up his mind. If it feels right, you may also decide to physically give your customer a little space, and if more than one person is involved clearly state, “I’ll leave you a minute to think about it together.” Novice salespeople tend to feel uncomfortable with silence and attempt to rush the deal through, or chatter on to fill the silence with inappropriate or superfluous comments that may give rise to additional objections or concerns. Instead, you should use the moments of silence to stay focused on the deal, review your conversation and exchange, and breathe easily as you prepare to close the deal successfully.

Final Tips to Adopt a Real “Sales Ethics Style”

Here are a last few tips for helping your negotiations to end well and leave your customer with a good feeling that will encourage them to stay in touch and to refer other customers to you. You want your customers to remember this purchase with real pleasure.

•  Take one small step at a time: You may find yourself in conversation with new customers who, right from the analysis stage, show interest in making a major purchase: changing their business management software, putting the entire sales team in training, fully furnishing a new home, or, in the case of Renato, replacing the entire fleet of company cars! If you realize that the customer’s needs are extensive but they are reluctant to confirm such an important purchase, you could suggest advancing by stages—perhaps proposing the more limited purchase of a single product or service from among those required. This first deal will give you the chance to get to know each other better and to prove your reliability; you can then build a broader relationship on these foundations. This is fundamental to creating a good reputation and references within your customer relationships and ensuring they strengthen over time. For example, we sometimes sell a first lesson or pilot counseling session so customers can experience the effectiveness of our methodology, and this then leads to the confirmation of a more significant training contract. Salespeople who gladly accept this approach to a large sale prove they have the courage of their convictions.

•  Adopt a style of incremental negotiation: The perfect time to tip the balance in favor of your customer is when you are closing the deal. Giving more means investing in the relationship and thus committing your customer to reciprocate with loyalty and positive word of mouth. An additional service, final advice and a little extra attention, an unexpected gift, or just a few more minutes of your time will all serve to convince your customers further that they have made a profitable purchase. In addition, they will have acquired surplus value that they will feel committed to repaying over time. These actions will enhance your reputation so you can distance negotiate with these customers and other prospects in their network.

•  Do not drop your customer after the deal but secure the value: Customers should receive confident support even after they have said “yes!” Compliment them on their decision and back this up with positive remarks such as “You’ll see you‘ll be happy with your choice.” Just as the initial presentation serves to prepare your customer to accept the exchange, in this final phase, as you prepare to go your separate ways, you should firmly bond the relationship so carefully constructed. This is why some retailers make sure you are given positive attention when paying, or eliminate the negative experience of having to stand in a queue at the checkout counter. You may have noticed that in Apple stores payment is always made directly to the sales clerk who received and served you, so you don’t have to queue up or suddenly find yourself abandoned by the person who has accompanied you through the sale. This ensures that customers feel pampered and the bond to the vendor is consolidated. So even after you have closed the deal take time to accompany your customers to the door, or pay a sincere compliment while smiling and remind them that you are at their disposal for any clarification. Make this moment gratifying and rewarding so that when your customers think back to your negotiations they will say, “That’s what I call a good salesperson!”

•  Give yourself an intermediate target: It is not always possible to close the sale at the first meeting. There are negotiations that by their nature require a number of encounters: property sales, complex and customized equipment, industrial plants, automobiles. The important thing is to manage the relationship by aiming for clear and specific milestones and concluding every meeting with a follow-up appointment or a further action that will bring you closer to the goal. For example:

Meeting #1: Get to know the prospect and discover their needs and motivations.

Meeting #2: Strengthen your acquaintance, find out which of your competitor’s products they use, who is the decision maker or the influencer in the firm or family.

Meeting #3: Present your project and the proposal or let the customer try out or see your offer.

Meeting #4: Define the details of your sales transaction and close the deal.

If you work in a complex sector, practice splitting your sales targets into phases as shown earlier. The exercise will help you work through each meeting with greater clarity and peace of mind.

•  Be consistent with your style of Sales Ethics: If all goes according to plan, it will not be difficult to remain faithful to the suggestions we have set out in this book, but how do you behave if, despite all your efforts, the customer decides not to buy? As we shall see in the next phase, you can analyze the experience to learn something useful for the future; but in the meantime, we advise you not to become discouraged, or lose your calm in front of the customer. The behavior you adopt when faced with a no will serve to underline just how adept you are in the ancient and noble art of selling. Stay focused on the positive elements of the experience, and remember that you are dealing with another person with their own particular needs, concerns, and difficulties. Speak to the human being in front of you, even if the exchange with that person as a customer has broken down, and maintain a good relationship so they go away with the feeling that a positive exchange has taken place. Direct their attention to the positive elements of your shared experience, whether this be an advice you have given or a help in making another purchase. As a good giver you can rest assured that you may well meet again, and this person will in any case speak highly of you, reinforcing your professional reputation and expanding your network of contacts.