A lot of people I’ve trained in the past seemed to struggle with timing. They tried to close the deal too soon, before the prospect had bought into the concept or the necessary investment. Other people oversell the product and talk themselves out of the deal; they don’t realise that they’ve said everything they need to say in order to convince the prospect to buy. Closing signals help you with your timing. If you can recognise them easily, you will never lose a customer through overselling.
Closing signals, also known as buying signs, are signals that tell you that your prospect is ready to buy. At this point, your prospect has a desire to own the product and he is ready to purchase your offer. He communicates this to you through these closing signals.
Closing signals can be verbal or non-verbal. Verbal closing signals usually appear in the form of a question, such as:
- Where do we go from here?
- Do you accept card payments?
- Do you offer home delivery?
Or slightly less obvious questions:
- Do you offer any warranties?
- Are there any special offers on for this product?
- Do they come in a different colour?
Non-verbal closing signals can be spotted in the body language of your prospect. They are signs that show that he is persuaded by your presentation. Non-verbal closing signals are not as easy to read. It requires practice and experience before they can be recognised. Here are a few explained,
- Your prospect is nodding his head; he is doing this because he is agreeing to what you are saying and he is showing you that he has made up his mind.
- Big eyes; your customer raises his eyebrows and really focuses on you. This is very often a sign of greed, or in other words, someone who is completely buying into your offer.
- A combination of the two with your prospect saying “okay” repeatedly is a guaranteed sale. This is someone who is completely ready to buy.
You cannot predict when a prospect is going to show a closing signal. Some people are easily convinced because they don’t care very much about the purchase or because they have done their research and have already made up their mind. Others are not convinced of the concept that you are selling and require a lot of good arguments before they show you a buying sign.
Whenever a closing signal appears is not relevant as long as you recognise it. When it comes, you can close the deal straight away, whether it is after half an hour or two minutes into the conversation. Don’t oversell your offer, and definitely don’t miss your window of opportunity!
