This 6-part series is about to end, and I hope it has helped you train new hires.

You can see the earlier articles by scrolling down to the bottom of the News and clicking on the last few issues in the News Archive.

This week get to what it's all about: the "Pot 'O Gold" at the end of the rainbow...The Closing!

The 6 Steps of The Sale
1. Planning and Preparation
2. The Introduction or Opening
3. Questioning and Probing
4. The Presentation
5. Overcoming Objections and Negotiating
6. The Closing

Step #6 - The Closing

You eye should be on the closing every time you start a sale, so always keep this in mind:

- There are three types of customers:
1.) Those who are definite buyers. They may have contacted you, they're very receptive to what you say, and eager to do the deal and move one. They might drive a hard bargain, try and get the best terms or other "extras," but want what you are selling. Closing these customers is sweet and easy.

2.) Those who might be buyers. These are the majority of buyers, and can often require a lot of hard work, they're hesitant, they'll put you off, but can be closed.

3.) Those who not buyers. These can often sound like Type 2's above, but are a waste of time. They may seem to be giving you a lot of time, but they are just pumping you for information, and you have to smell them out.

- The trial close
So it's obvious that the strategy and the art of "The Close" is focused on Type 2 buyers. And actually closing them often requires trying "trail closers." These are probing question that will tell you how near you are to making the sale, and what you need to do move the prospect closer to being a customer. If you've made your presentation and they are still hesitant, try something like this: "Is there anything I've presented you don't understand?" "Is there anything I've left out?" "You seem to be a little hesitant, can you tell me why?" You phrase it your way, but that's the concept.

- The strategy behind the trial close
What you are doing here is simple: you are asking the prospect, no matter how you put it, "What's holding the deal up?" They have to give you an answer, and if you can provide the solution to their objection - in other words, you have given them everything they want - they have to buy from you.

- The Close
The best close these days is something like "Are you happy that we've covered everything and would you like to go ahead?", or simply "Would you like to go ahead?" In many cases, if you have conducted the sale properly, the prospect will close the deal himself and say something like, "OK, this sounds good and this is what I'd like to do, I'll go with the (product or service details)..."

- After the Close, close your mouth
Dale Carnegie, often called the Father of Modern Selling and author of "How To Win Friends And Influence People," is credited with saying "When you've made the sale, shut up and leave the room." That's great advice. Because one of the biggest mistakes you can make is to chat it up when you've made the sale - particularly if it was a hard sale. The relief of landing a tough prospect can turn into a rambling monologue about how much they'll love the product/service (didn't you just sell them on the basis?), other stuff they could buy (but won't right now, so why bother?), or other idle chatter that is completely unprofessional and can make you sound foolish. You're also wasting their time and yours. When they say "We got a deal," you say "Great, thank you," and nothing more.

- Confirm the details
Well, there are a few things to talk about after the sale is made, and that's confirms the facts of the deal. Make sure you review the specifications and terms before you say "goodbye." And if the customer is not getting a hard copy of the contract on the spot, make sure mail or email them one as soon as possible.

- Follow up
Each sale requires a different type of follow up, one thing to always do is send a "Thank you for your business" note. You may hand the customer off to other departments at your company, but you should make sure the customer is happy so after the product or service is delivered.

- Get references
Providing customer service yourself and keeping a good relationship with the customer is important for two reasons, keeping the customer and getting references from them for more potential customers. A happy customer is your best salesperson, and if you can get referrals, those are among the best leads you can get.

And when you do, go back to Step 1, and start all over again.

Happy Selling!