In the interest of growing your business and your sales, it is important to have a plan to closing good leads that come into your business. Here are 5 tips for closing these leads and moving the needle of your success.
1. Be Helpful
Being helpful toward clients is the mentality of a person who is using the first step of the inbound method methodology; attraction. Bringing leads through the door is about giving them answers to the questions that they have as they relate to your field and your area of expertise. Taking this person, who is seeking advice, and helping them to discover how your business is the answer to their problems is the essence of the consultative sales process. So really, selling is about helping the lead from start to finish.
2. Provide Content
Getting the lead through the sales pipeline may still require that good content is provided to answer addition pre-close questions. This can be as simple as a pricing sheet or as complex as a template for how your two companies can work together over the next 5 years. This part of the buyer’s journey should be customized to the nature of your business and what you provide.
3. Listen to Prospect’s Problems
One of the best ways to help these customers through the pipeline is to listen to their problems. These problems are often why the lead sought you out in the first place, so it is likely that somewhere in their list of problems is the golden ticket to closing good leads. Take note of their pain points and find solutions. While it is important to listen during the closing process, this will also be valuable insight into the world of the customer and this can be used to attract leads in the first place.
4. Provide Quality Before the Sale
Providing content before the sale is one way of providing quality, but it should be more than just the content. If your business is one where the customer will be working with your company over a long period of time, then it is beneficial to give an overarching impression of quality service and even glimpses into your internal processes. Perhaps a tour of your facility, bringing a client on site to an existing job so they can see your company at work first hand. These are subtle nuances that will help the lead feel comfortable and see the quality that you offer.
5. Provide Great Service After the Sale
Whether or not your business with your clients is long-term or short-term, it is an excellent idea to provide outstanding service after the sale. Again, providing great content helps to do this, because people are able to get information about your industry and this may lead to repeat business or referrals.
As an example, my family is well acquainted with the owner of a funeral home in my hometown. This guy came to town and has stolen the market from long-standing competition in a relatively short amount of time. His success is mostly due to a high level of service during, but most definingly after, the sale. He hosts memorial services regularly and sends invites out to relatives of the deceased for even a decade after their passing. No one else in the town goes to those lengths and he has high reviews, because he has set himself apart by his level of service.
For more on closing good leads, I have written another blog post on Nurturing Leads.
