Zig Ziglar, he can definitely be regarded as the guru of sales training. According to me, just writing a blog on something that he has already done is amazing. He has the power to convince you to sell anything to a customer. All he asked you to do is believe in your product, question your product, and have the correct voice inflection.
‘Secrets of closing the sale’, this is surely one of his best books he has written. It is used most widely by many organizations. The people who have read the book know how it can drive you to sell anything you want.
Many people have listed down a few points from the book that really stand out. Even I have taken the leverage to do so;
Take a look at the few quotes or important points.
1. Asking Questions
If only you ask questions you will find answers. Which really makes sense. Question the product as to why it should be sold and to whom it should be sold. ‘By asking questions, there is no way you can get unhappy with me about the answers you give to those questions’.
Only when you have the answers to these questions, you will know whether it’s worth investing time and energy in selling the product.
For example, if your organization is in the process of manufacturing a new variety of mobile. You need to have questions like, what age group to target for the mobile?
What key features should be used to promote the product?
2. Five basic reasons for a customer to say NO
Firstly lets list down the five reasons; “no need, no money, no hurry, no desire, and no trust”.
This is something that even Zig Ziglar took seriously. At the end of the day, you have to know why a customer would even want to buy your product. A customer will have a million reasons to say no. In reply to that, you have to make the customer change his/her mind.
Customers are kings of the market. No matter what, you have to please the king first, to be successful in the market.
There are times when customers don’t need a product.
For e.g. a customer already owns a motor vehicle, which means he does need to buy a new one. Your company has launched the latest model of the same motor vehicle. Now you as a salesperson have to be able to convince the customer, to make an upgrade. Tell him about the new safety features, better mileage, more power, etc.
The same goes for the other four reasons as well. Like, if the customer tells you that he has no money, give him schemes. Schemes like, he can pay in installments.
If the customer says he is in no hurry to buy a product. Make him feel like he will regret missing out on your product. You can use the same for no desire as well.
In terms of the trust, yes, customers do take this seriously. If a customer does not have trust in you or your product he will not buy your product. Therefore, the first thing that you need to do before introducing your product is to win your customer’s trust.
3. Buyer’s buying Psychology
‘People buy what they want when they want it more than they want the money it costs’. This is totally on how you can make a greater profit.
The most recent example of this would be the situation of onions in India. The price for onions had gone up to 120rs/kg. Which is more expensive than normal but that did not stop people from buying onions.
This will relate mostly to daily needs goods and luxurious goods. For example, if a rich man wants to buy a new house in another city, he will buy it at any cost. This is because he has the money and it is his need or wants to buy the house. So as a salesman, you need to take advantage of the situation and make the best of it, to get maximum profit.
4. Be A Helper
For once try acting like a helper and not a salesman. Changing your own psychology as a salesman is always helpful as it will bring in new ways of selling. ‘You can get everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want’. As a salesman, your first priority is that you want your product to be sold.
So in Zig Ziglar’s words what he says is to be a helper and help your customer get what he wants. With this even you get your sale.
For example, if a customer walks into a store looking for some new cutlery, make sure to ask ‘what he needs’? Then try and be helpful and give the customer what he wants. So automatically you have sold a product and you became a helper in getting the customer what he wants.
5. Believe in what you do
It does not make sense of being a salesman if you don’t believe in yourself or the product. Every salesman needs to have the drive to be able to convince the customer. That is only possible if you have self-confidence.
‘You must believe in what you are doing, that you are interested in serving your client and that you do feel you are offering the best product or service at the best price which will do the most for your client and their needs’.
Let’s explain the quote with an example. Let’s say, you have been asked to sell an insurance policy to an electronics shop, that covers the damage of goods. It is very clear that the policy will surely benefit the shopkeeper. But why should your policy be the best for him is what you have to prove to him. This has to be done with full belief in your product and yourself.
6. Persuading prospect
‘The prospect is persuaded more by the depth of your conviction than he is by the height of your logic’.
Basically the meaning of the quote is that the client is interested more in your final judgment. He does not believe in the logic you put behind to sell the product. It’s like when you watch a movie, all you are bothered about is what the climax will be.
For example, if I, as a customer, have come to buy a smartwatch. I would like to know what use can the watch be to me and how is it different from regular watches. Not listening to things like it will look good on me or it suits me well, those are all secondary thoughts.
One more thing to add to this is that always compare two products while selling something. Then all the customer is waiting for, is your verdict on which product is better.
7. The price
‘I am glad you are concerned about the price….because that’s one of our most attractive advantages. Would you agree that, as a practical matter, a product is worth what it can do for you and not what you have to pay for it? Our company has the choice between providing coaching as cheaply as possible and selling it as a get by service, or providing coaching that teaches you how to create long-lasting results, profits, and growth’.
Pricing plays an important role in sales. You as a salesman, need to acquire the power of convincing the customer about the price of the product. Price is something that he should not focus on but rather focus on the service it will provide.
For example, let’s say a taxi driver has come to buy a MUV. Now your top-notch MUV costs 6 lakhs INR ex-showroom. Which he finds a little expensive. So to convince him about the price, as a salesperson. You can tell him that, ‘if he pays 6 lakhs INR now, the business he makes with the help of the car will give him complete profit within two years’.
8. Believers are closers
‘Selling is essentially a transference of feeling….believers are closers…c stands for conviction’.
The best sales results come only when you feel for the product. Only then can you praise the product to its highest values. It’s the customers who you sell the products to. So only if you can put across your feelings about the product to the customer they will believe in the product. This helps you succeed in closing the deal.
For example, if I was asked to sell football t-shirts of Lionel Messi I would instantly look for football fans. Then make them connect with the product by telling them about how great Messi is. This will cause an emotional attachment to the product. Which will be helpful for me to close the deal.
9. The salesman as a person
How you are as an individual plays a major role in your sales techniques. It also affects the customer’s buying psychology. If a customer finds a salesperson genuine and honest, it is sure that the customer will surely make a deal.
‘A calm, confident, positive, reassuring salesperson working from a base of honesty and integrity is the most effective tool to calm the fear of the prospect and get the sale’.
A customer needs to find some trust and connect before buying a product. The trust and connection can only be passed on by the salesperson. For e.g., “Why do people refuse to buy policies online”? -” Because they don’t feel safe right”. Yet, if they had to buy a policy on a face-to-face basis, they would feel more secure. With this, there is a 98% chance they would take the policy.
10. The use of reasons
Customers will always make reasons for not buying a product. But if you want to be a good salesperson, you need to learn the art of using reasons to sell your product.
‘Take the reason why he could not buy and use it as the reason why he must buy’.
What does the quote say? It says, ‘you need to make the customer believe that the reason he is giving for not buying the product is the actual reason he should buy the product’.
There is a day to day example of this situation. People often refuse to eat ice cream during winters. Saying they will get a cold or flu. As ice-cream sellers, you have to inform the customer that ice cream is a heat generator. Once it is in the body, it keeps the body warm.
11. Identify problems and find solutions
‘Move to the prospect’s side of the table, identify the problem, get involved in the solution, and your closing percentage will increase’.
‘All is only well in heaven and not on earth’. There can be problems every day and there can be a continuous patch of bad sales days. But, you cannot just sit and cry about your problems. If you want to succeed you need to find solutions to those problems.
For e.g, your company has held a flea market. You have been having a problem with giving clear information about your product. Which is causing a problem in closing your sale. You need to take a break, relax, boost yourself and practice well before you get back. This will surely increase the closing percentage.
12. Take suggestions but don’t make them final decisions
It’s definitely good to take suggestions from the world. Although, it becomes a problem when you start working only according to those suggestions.
‘Your business is never really good or bad out there. Your business is either good or bad right between your own two ears’.
According to Zig, you should always do what you think is right and correct. As then if at all something goes wrong, you know you can only blame yourself.
For e.g., if you are a tobacco seller and your close people tell you it’s a wrong business to do. You need to block your ears because if the government does not have an issue with tobacco then it is not the wrong business at all.
13. Self Image
‘Improve your self-image and you will improve your sales performance’.
Your self-image will affect the product you are selling. For e.g., If you think you are a serious kind of person, you cannot sell tickets to a stand-Up comedy show.
You need to identify first what your personality and traits are. Then improvise on them, to meet the requirements to sell a particular product.
An example of this would be a fashion designer. Most fashion designers wear the flashiest of clothes. Why?- So that people notice them. Which means that people will also check their line of brands.
That’s the most I have made off the book and put it across to you. Do give it a read and reflect on it. I am sure it will be of great help if you wish to improvise on closing sales. Also, you can tell me in the comments which of these pointers do you feel are most appropriate.
