Knowing when to ask a prospect to buy is a lot simpler than some think.

It should be done when all of the prospect’s questions have been answered, objections resolved and at a time when the prospect is thinking about how a product or service will benefit him or her.

Three levels of interest

Prospects typically have three levels of interest when they are on their way to agreeing to a sale:

• Hot — Prospect indicates complete satisfaction and is ready to be asked to buy. It’s time to close this prospect now.
• Medium — Prospect knows all about the product or service but still needs some last-minute information. Keep this person on the front burner.
• Mild — Prospect understands the product and acknowledges its benefits, but still needs time to think things over. Warm them up by continuing to ask questions and provide valuable info.

Measuring the interest: The trial close

It’s not easy to measure the prospect’s level of interest. Some of the ones who seem the most receptive are the most difficult to close. Meanwhile, others who raise the most objections may move effortlessly to a close.

A good way to determine a prospect’s interest is to use a trial close. When trial closing, a salesperson asks for the prospect’s opinion about the product or service. This can be used to measure the prospect’s interest at any point during the sales cycle.

Wait until things are heating up

Urge your salespeople to use a trial close as soon as they suspect a prospect is heating up. There is usually no risk in trial closing. Salespeople will either get an immediate positive response or uncover some resistance that has to be overcome before they can close the sale. Either way, it’s a win-win situation.

Adapted from “The One Minute Closer” by James W. Pickens

Tags: James W. Pickens, sales cycle, The One Minute Closer, trial close