Page 175 - Marketing the Basics 2nd

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a new objection that you don’t have an answer to the best course is to cheerfully admit that and tell the customer that you will get back them later. Honesty really is the best policy, otherwise you will get in trouble and hurt that most valuable thing, trust.
CLOSING
Once all of the prospect’s objections have been dealt with, the sales- person attempts to close the sale by asking for an order. Though most people find that rather intimidating it generally comes as no surprise to the customer; they expect salespeople to ask for the order and are not upset when you do. If you have made a logical sales call it should naturally flow from the conversation you have been having. For many sales an order will not result from the first call, but every sales call should have an objective, an ambitious but realistic target. For example, to obtain permission to call on another person in the buying centre, to visit a customer reference site or allow you to return with some financial analysis which you will then jointly review. However, the moment of truth will hopefully arrive – asking for that valuable thing, the point of the salesperson’s business life, the order.
Knowing when to close the sale is more of an art then a science. Slight nods of the head, the types of comments and questions from the prospect are subtle but telling clues as to the seriousness of the buyer. Once the salesperson feels the time is right to close, there are a number of techniques they can employ. They can fill out an order for the prospect, remind the buyer that waiting will likely mean they will lose the order, or offer incentives, such as a lower price, or extra quantities. The aim is to instil a sense of urgency in the buyer’s mind to make a purchase immediately.
FOLLOWING-UP
The last step in the selling process is the follow-up. The follow-up is essential to the selling process if the salesperson wants to retain the customer for future business. Following-up entails contacting the client, asking them for feedback regarding their order. This is one variety of a professional sales call, probably the most common,