4.6 Finalising the sale

Figure 7 Concluding a business deal

Assuming that you have successfully understood customer needs, delivered a compelling proposal and effectively responded to objections, finalising the sale should be pretty simple… at least in theory.

Finalising or closing the sale can be one of the most difficult elements of the sales process. You might be afraid of appearing pushy or demanding, or perhaps even be overly conscious of the investment that you are asking a potential customer or client to make. Yet in order to successfully sell your offering you need to finalise the sale.

It might seem strange at first, but finalising a sale or a deal might just mean asking if the customer or client is ready to buy. Perhaps they have tried a sample of your product and seem to really like it, or maybe they keep coming back and asking more and more questions. Some examples might include:

• Asking for details of a specific service or feature

• Asking detailed questions about pricing

• Focusing on the potential benefits

• Clarifying terms and conditions

• Investigating payment methods and processes

• Asking about next steps.

These can be genuine buying signals that you should be aware of, though needless to say, each buyer will behave in different ways. Think of the various meanings that could be attached to a simple statement such as ‘That is great, I will bear it in mind’. Some might be using this as a way to fob you off, while others will genuinely want to bear it in mind as they consider their options.

For B2B sales, in particular, you also need to know whether the person you are dealing with is the key decision maker. While they might be, it could be the case that your contact is representing a team and someone else is responsible for the decision. It can therefore be helpful to get a chance to speak directly to the key decision maker in order to finalise a sale.