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!

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