'The Line That Is Dotted'

A s Alec Baldwin bluntly stated in "Glengarry Glen Ross," your only object is to get the customer to "sign on the line that is dotted." The challenge is universal. The solution, at times, can be elusive.

First and foremost, you have to deliver exactly what your customers want rather than what you think they need. What services will increase their revenue? What's their time frame for those services? Are they most interested in price or is the latest technology their number one objective? Do they want data or do they want to see a demonstration?

Additionally, knowing what your competition offers is key to closing. Who else is this prospect talking to? What do they offer? Can you offer better? Even more important to getting that sale, however, is knowing your customer's competitors. Whom do they compete with for business? What does their competition offer consumers that they don't? How can you level their playing field?

Having all the right information and making the best presentation that's tailored to your prospect's specific needs may be all well and good, but it is meaningless if you're not talking to the right person. Have you established who the decision-maker is? Is the person sitting across from you in a position to say yea or nay right then and there?

Ask yourself another important question. Have you listened more than you have spoken? There's a reason God gave us two ears and only one mouth. Allow your prospect plenty of time to ask questions. Let them voice opinions, concerns and share past experiences. Knowledge is power, and it precedes selling of any kind every time.

And, finally, now is not the time to be shy. Have you asked for the account? If you don't, you can bet someone else will.

It's more important to hear "no" than to not hear anything at all. And if they do say "no," what better opportunity is there to address their objections and turn that negative to a positive? If you know the problem and can show your prospect that you can efficiently and cost-effectively fix it, then a win-win solution will be created ... and that dotted line will get signed.