Most sales people will agree, the most important part of the sales process is the closing.  Sales professionals often spend a great deal of time in the processes that lead to the close.  But, if the buyer doesn’t buy, it can feel like a lot of time wasted.  The proof of success is when you can bring the buyer around to make the decision to buy.  The key to that success is in the sales process. Everything you do prior to the close of the sale, from the initial contact to the final presentation, is what leads the buyer to the buying decision.

Be clear, concise and creative.

You have a finite amount of time with any buyer that you work with.  When you describe your product or service, you have to be specific about its benefits and its features.  Your information about price and additional costs needs to be dead on. And, you need to make it all sound appealing and very different from your competitors products.  There are usually many ways to help make your product stand out and you need to learn what they are and use these attributes to help bring your buyer to the buying decision. Your wording needs to be simple and original. It should focus on the qualities that are unique to your product.

Develop trust.

It can be very tempting to look at every prospect as a one-time customer. Do not fall into that trap.  You may have a product that is generally sold only once or twice but you still need to develop a relationship with the customer so that they come to trust you.  The more your customers trust you, the more likely they are to come to a buying decision.  In addition, once the buyer has come to the decision to buy, the trust they have in you will help them to feel more comfortable giving you leads and prospects for future sales.

Discover the need. 

In addition to building trust, developing a relationship with your customer will help you to better understand what they need and what is important to them.  Ask a lot of questions and listen closely to what they have to say.  Part of persuading the buyer is showing them how you can fulfill the need or solve the problem that they have. By really paying attention, you will find out what feature is most important to the buyer.  You may find that the buyer is more concerned with shipping costs or timing than with any specific feature.  This allows you to focus on the area that is important to the buyer and, by doing so, help them to come to the buying decision.

Be aware of the market you are selling to.

If you do not understand your customers and the market that they do business in, you will have a very difficult time persuading the buyer to buy.  You need to understand the cycles of their business and the ins and outs of each particular market.  As the old saying goes, timing is everything.  If you go to the buyer far too soon or too late for their particular market cycle, you are probably not going to make the sale.

To be successful in sales, you need to be able to persuade the buyer and help them make their buying decisions.  You need to know your product or service inside and out, and be able to communicate the features in an engaging and creative way.  You need to understand the market that your buyer is working in and, you need to develop relationships with your buyers to help build and maintain success.  These are the keys to persuading a buyer to buy.