Industrial Sales and the Art of Closing the Deal

So, you've nurtured a prospect into potentially buying your industrial products or services and now you're faced with the task of closing the sale. Lead nurturing offers several benefits for salespersons, including the shorter sales cycles, improved cross-merchandising and up-selling effectiveness, and improved customer satisfaction. However, these benefits only hold true if you are able to close the sale and convert the prospect into a paying customer.

Identify Prospect's Hesitations

If the prospect hasn't agreed to purchase yet, you need to find out why. What specifically is holding the prospect back? Maybe he or she is debating between your company and the services offered by a competitor? Or perhaps the prospect is waiting until a later date to sign a sales agreement. Or maybe they are waiting on the fiscal year to end for budgeting purposes. Regardless, you need to find out why the prospect hasn't taken action so you can address his or her hesitations and turn them into a customer. At the very least, you know where the deal stands, and can move forward accordingly. 

Make Yourself Available 

When a lead is on the fence about purchasing an industrial construction service, he or she may seek additional information from the company's salesperson. As such, it's important to make yourself readily available to answer the prospect's questions and address any concerns that he or she may have. Be sure to provide the prospect with multiple methods of contact, including phone, fax and email. And when a prospect reaches out to you, respond back in a timely manner to help facilitate the sales process.

Maintain Confidence

Confidence goes a long ways in sales, and industrial construction services are no exception. If you fail to exhibit confidence in your correspondences with prospects, you'll face an uphill battle trying to convert prospects into paying customers. Whether it's phone, face-to-face meetings or digital marketing mediums, maintain a high level of confidence throughout all prospect correspondences.

Guarantee Your Work

Not surprisingly, salespersons that “guarantee” their work will have an easier time generating sales. Prospects want to know that the work will be completed on time, and according to the terms set forth in the sales agreement.

Offer Proposal in Writing

It's always a good idea to offer prospects an official proposal in writing. When a prospect sees the proposal in writing, he or she will feel more confident about proceeding with the sales. Written proposals instill greater trust and confidence in prospects; thereby, increasing the chance of a sale.

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