Many sales people get nervous asking for the order. Yet I often wonder, what is it that frightens them so much?
Some people will tell you it’s the fear of the rejection. They get worked up and assume the worst. They think the customer is going to say no and it almost paralyses them.
Others will say they don’t want to come across as too pushy. Still, we also need to consider the customers perspective, because if we don’t enquire, they may think we don’t care and go elsewhere.
Also, aside from the fear of rejection or being too pushy, many will tell you they don’t know what to say.
Back when I was a rooky salesperson, I remember a mentor said to me that “Asking for the order or even an appointment is not difficult, unless you’re not prepared”.
If we don’t know what to say – we need to prepare. We need to pay attention to every step of the customer engagement, especially in the way we request the sale.
There are many different ways we ask - here are eight examples to try out.
- Reconfirm the order – This is where we simply repeat back what the customer has said, then check with them to see if they would like to proceed. A closed question is ideal when you are sure they are going to say yes. “So, you would like to book a table for 4 people this Friday at 8pm – is this correct?” Or “Is it the metallic grey car that you are interested in ordering?”
- Offer illusion of choice – A very popular approach, where we ask the customer to choose between two alternatives – “Which colour would you prefer? The red or the blue?” Or perhaps “What day suits best for your hair appointment – Thursday at 10am or Friday at 11am?”
- Envisage the customer has already bought – We talk to the customer as if they have already bought the product. “That couch will fit in very well in your living room. Shall we deliver on Friday?”. Or “The laptop is really light; can you imagine how easy it will be for you to carry around?”
- Social proof & popularity - The idea is that people are influenced to buy something because it's popular. It’s similar to using influencers. Sometimes a salesperson may mention that well-known people or companies use the particular product or service, as an endorsement. An example being “This watch is flying out the door. I’ve heard that (name) wore it in the latest XYZ movie”. Another suggestion includes “A lot of professional golfers use this brand of clubs”. Or “We find that a lot of Architects like this particular laptop – there was even a write up about it in XYZ magazine”.
- A sense of urgency – A very helpful approach when there is a deadline on an offer, event or with limited availability. One might include “The early bird offer ends tomorrow” for an event. Or perhaps “I know you need the printer up and running by next Friday, so we really need to order it today”.
- Limited availability to avoid regret – Similar to the above, this one can be used with it. For instance, “We have only two double rooms left for that weekend. I am sure you wouldn’t want to miss out”. Another situation may be “I know you are going to print next week. We only have four boxes of that particular paper in stock. It will be another three weeks before we get anymore in”.
- Payment and instructions – This method is ideal where we enquire about payment or delivery instructions. We can use “What address shall we put on the invoice?” We can also combine the illusion of choice for payment purposes such as “How would you like to pay? Cash or Card?”
- Ask for the order and client action – Similar to the first sample, we can use this technique when we are confident the person wants to buy. This time we can use phrases like “Would you like to go ahead with the appointment on Thursday at 10am?” Or “When can you send in your purchase order number for XYZ”?