24个销售关闭错误，这将阻止其轨道达成协议（据专家说）

Ask any sales rep what the hardest part of their job is, and I’ll bet they’ll say "closing." After all, signing new customers and upselling existing accounts is how a rep makes quota. If they’re not getting prospects to sign contracts, they’re not going to hit their number.

There are a some killer mistakes you need to avoid if you hope to be successful. Here are 24 of the most prevalent — and devastating — closing fumbles reps consistently run into.

1.打折发现电话的重要性

根据HubSpot销售总监Dan Tire的说法，关闭是整个销售过程中跨越的过程。根据他的说法，“大多数交易在2021年都具有竞争力 - 但大多数前景都以同一组竞争对手开头。无论谁钉在销售过程的第一部分的人中，往往是将完成或关闭它的人。发现电话是新的电话关闭电话，因此，如果您不问正确的问题，交易将停止。

“When you identify a good fit prospect, you want to be very specific on your expertise and experience. For instance, you might say something to the tune of,'We help professional services companies in Canada with at least 100 employees who are looking to grow 25% in 2021 and feel like they need to spend more time and effort on their digital efforts.'

“I like to continue these conversations with a discovery call where we can dig in and find the biggest issues that cause the most pain. Two great questions that I like to ask in this phase of the process are,“您喜欢新的业务发展工作吗？”和，'What do you want to improve?'

“I also like to address the“我们决定不开始”objection — which is universal — right upfront.'When do you need the problem solved?' 'When do you need to see the cost reduction?' 'When do you need to get the customers by?'All these questions create that mindset of moving to solve the problem sooner rather than later."

2. Closing Only Once

As Dan stressed, you should consistently "close" throughout the sales process — for three main reasons. First, you'll gradually secure greater and greater buy-in from your prospect. Second, you'll filter out tire kickers. And finally, you'll get key information, meetings, introductions, and more.

例如，在您的第一个电话中，您可能会要求购买者的手机号码。能够直接致电或发短信 - 而不是通过助手或打电话给他们的工作线 - 将使他们更容易联系。

在第三次会议结束时，您可以要求他们将您与采购联系起来，以便您可以开始学习他们的购买要求。您不仅可以从其他供应商中脱颖而出，而且您似乎还会更加准备和经验。

3.不问你想要什么

Clearly stating your ask might be common sense, but it’s hardly common practice.

There are two reasons reps don’t simply state what they want from a prospect. They might be afraid of rejection, so they soften their language to minimize the chances of hearing“no."

On the other hand, it’s possible they don’t know what they want! Too often, reps go into a call or meeting with no real concept of what they’re hoping to get out of it. And if you don’t know what you want, how can you get it from the prospect?

要牢记一个明确的目标，输入每个互动，在要求时不要绕过灌木丛。例如，“I’m calling to see if you have questions about the proposal,"不清楚您希望潜在客户要做什么。“您今天会签署并发送该提案吗？”does.

4.使用语句而不是问题

Closes should always be phrased as questions, not statements. Why? Because questions require direct answers — statements don't.

If a sales rep says to a prospect,“很高兴在星期一下午见面。”该前景可以以多种方式做出回应。但是如果代表说，“你可以在星期一下午见面吗？”the prospect has only two possible replies at their disposal —“我可以，”或者“不，我不能。“

Sentences that start with“我想”或者“也许，我们可以”aren’t closes. Questions that start with“你是，”“你可以吗，”或者“你会”are.

5.没有从潜在客户那里获得个人买入

HubSpot销售总监Dan Tire钻探家的另一点是为您的潜在客户提供个人销售过程中的股份的价值。据他说：“我在结束过程中看到的另一个错误不是为了个人利益而获得潜在客户。”

“我喜欢问，“我们如何使您在此过程中以及何时开始？”和，'How can we make your boss and team look good?'这些问题将确保潜在客户正在考虑为他们及其团队前进的好处。”

6.不产生紧迫感

采购决策由两件事驱动 - 需求和时机。如果需求很大，但其他优先事项更为重要，那么您的交易将被推动。如果需求很大，但是潜在客户不明白为什么他们现在需要解决问题，那么您的交易也将被推动。

Identifying pain isn’t enough to close a deal. You have to create the right timing as well, and that means creating a sense of urgency. Explaining to your prospect not only why they should act but why they should also act now is the only way to close a deal.

7.不拥抱沉默

沉默可能不舒服，但是关闭时是金色的。不幸的是，销售代表经常在说出来后立即急于评论潜在客户的回答。

这听起来像：

Rep:“你今天下午见面吗？”

Prospect:“不能，我现在很忙。”

Rep:“没问题 - 明天好吗？”

但是，如果代表在潜在客户做出回应之后只是沉默，那么前景经常在谈论之前回答代表的后续问题。

这是上述示例，使用此方法进行了修订：

Rep:“你今天下午见面吗？”

Prospect:“不能，我现在很忙。”

[安静]

Prospect:“… But I can meet next Tuesday."

留出一些空间可以在黑桃上获得回报，因此不要跳跃以填补沉默来以自己的方式获得。

8.不知道潜在客户的决策标准

Asking for the business is a way to signal to prospects that the end of the sales process has arrived. Of course, you also need to be aware of when it’s time to ask for it. Asking too soon makes the prospect feel rushed, but asking too late will make the deal last longer than it has to.

At the beginning of every sales process, make sure you find out what specific criteria the decision-maker needs to make a purchase. Do they need the vendor to follow a certain review or legal process? Do they need a specific set of features or a specific business case to be built? Find out these criteria and fulfill them methodically so a natural endpoint becomes obvious.

9. Not Understanding the Prospect’s Purchasing Process

Understanding the purchasing process is a similar, but slightly different requirement than the one above. Some companies require a legal review or formal procurement process to get a deal done. Others are required to evaluate a certain number of vendors. Still, others will have specific requirements for payment terms or types.

Know this process before formal negotiations start so that you won’t get through the entire closing sequence only to have to go through a weeks-long review process before the deal can be signed.

10.在每个人都在桌上之前关闭

Negotiating with the wrong people is a waste of time. They won’t be able to tell you whether a decision can be made or what it will be. Bring in all necessary stakeholders and have them up to speed on your progress thus far before you start talking about pricing and terms.

11.关闭无法交付的人

Why pose an ask to someone who can’t give you what you’re asking for? It’s not a good approach, and yet, I see this happen all the time.

一个经典的例子是要求一个显然无法提供的人的转诊。入门级工程师可以向您介绍他们的同事及其直接经理。但是首席执行官呢？可能不会。不要要求联系或给您他们无法提供的东西。

12. Getting Caught Up with NINA

集线器Senior Sales Manager Katherine Fischer recommends sales reps stay wary of getting involved with NINA. Who and what is NINA?

“NINA stands for No Influence No Authority. It is someone who talks a great game — they have a lot of experience over the years, telling salespeople exactly what they want to hear but are a total waste of time.

Nina最大的错误是尝试将它们关闭。您不应该尝试关闭下一步，简介或其他任何内容。假设他们同意下一步。在这种情况下，您将浪费时间与无法以任何方式进行销售的人建立关系。

也就是说，这并不意味着它们没有用。妮娜（Nina）是一位出色的教练，您只需要认识到他们贡献的局限性即可。

You can gather information from them to then later craft very personalized emails to key stakeholders. For example, you can ask NINA questions like, '“公司会议中最常谈论的是什么？”bob全站app“

13. Attempting to Close Someone Through a Third Party

我经常看到这个错误与高级决策者有关。假设代表想组装他们需要批准的所有相关利益相关者，他们想知道谁应该在会议列表中。如果代表无法接触首席执行官，他们可能会这样向助手提出要求：“您认为您的老板会建议谁在那里？”

With this question, you’re asking the assistant to deliver what you want on behalf of their boss. Not a good idea. While it’s fine to pose your close to the assistant or a third party, make sure you’re closing the actual decision-maker directly. With this in mind, the above question becomes“Who do you recommend should be there?”

关闭与您交谈的人，而不是代表他人的人 - 后一种方法是误会的秘诀。

14. Using Underhanded Closing Tricks

到目前为止，您应该运行一个简单而诚实的销售流程 - 那么为什么现在就停止呢？太多的销售人员依靠技巧和技术来说服他们的潜在客户在准备好之前就关闭。

这些技巧的问题在于它们是完全透明的，对买家施加了不必要的压力，并且效果不佳。在整个销售过程中，保持您的行为以上，除非您想在第11个小时让您的买家在口中的口味不好。

15.等待太久以解决问题和异议

HubSpot合作伙伴频道客户经理Jill Fratianne建议代表保持在任何问题上的重要性，并且担心前景可能会引起。据她说，“最大的错误是等待结束，以解决所有可能的问题或反对。”

她建议代表“早期询问所有'关闭问题'，尤其是在任何法律程序或破坏交易的技术问题时。”

16. Closing Too Early

Just as you wouldn’t pitch your product on the first call, you shouldn’t go for a final close when you’re only halfway through discovery. The sales cycle can and should be sped up if it’s possible to do so without cutting corners, but often you’ll need to follow each step and work on the buyer’s timeline to get a deal signed. Trying to force a sale over the finish line when you’ve only completed a few of these steps will prematurely end a deal you could have eventually won.

17.不了解他们的底线

妈king a sale isn’t the end-all, be-all. The deal has to be mutually beneficial to both parties, and that means not compromising on price or payment terms to a point where you’re harming your company.

Be accommodating where you can, and help your buyer out if they’re genuinely willing to commit to a purchase — but don’t agree to terms that are so far from your company’s bottom line that you’d be better off walking away.

18.踏上关闭

On that note, don’t step on the close. A rep steps on their close when they immediately tack the word "or" or "and" onto the end of their closing question. Instead of asking the prospect,“Would you be able to meet tomorrow?”然后让问题悬而未决，代表经常匆忙地用一个额外的短语来说明，例如“还是下周有空？”

请记住，诸如“，”和“或”之类的词在关闭时为对话添加选择是关于消除选择，并将潜在客户推向简单的“是”或“否”答案。通过添加额外的子句，您可以增加可能获得混乱或一半响应的可能性。

19.谈论太多

在谈判桌上，沉默是你最好的朋友。销售人员通常会从交易中说出来：他们的前景已经完全买了并准备讨论特定的术语，但是代表们感到非常兴奋，他们继续前进……然后前进……他们不小心引入了怀疑进入买家的脑海。

Poof. That's the sound of money disappearing.

如果您倾向于更加友好，请记住这一点 -没有人听过交易的出路。每当您完成一个新术语，回答一个问题，提供特许权或最重要的是说明您的价格时，您都应该闭嘴。当您的潜在客户说“听起来很棒，我认为我们已经准备好前进了，”结束对话并结束会议。

20.不问你需要什么

集线器Sales Team Lead Lindsay Kopit suggests reps be frank and upfront with prospects. She says, "If you've built trust with your stakeholders, you should feel comfortable asking for what you need.

“在本月底，季度或年底之前签名可能不会有任何影响与您一起，只要您在整个销售过程中建立了牢固的关系。”

21.不了解内部决策

Kopit also stressed the importance of knowinghow决定是从您的潜在客户尽头做出的。她说：“很容易被一个对您的产品或服务感到兴奋的潜在客户带来的，但要记住从参与决策过程中的每个人获得买入很重要的情况。

“陈述类似``您过去曾做过类似的购买吗？带我去过那个，'可以帮助发现其他利益相关者，并在销售过程结束时避免障碍。有采购过程吗？交易需要董事会的签字吗？提前了解此信息可确保您与潜在客户和时间表保持一致。”

22.当潜在客户说“否”时，过于持久

如果您的潜在客户拒绝了您，那么最糟糕的反应就是与他们争论。这发出了一个明确的信号：您没有足够的信心接受他们的“不”。他们会对你失去信心 - 更不用说你的融洽关系会受到影响。

那你该怎么办？只是说“好。”如果另一种选择是有道理的，那么您可以提供那个。例如，也许他们不想将您与采购联系起来，因为他们认为还为时过早，所以您回应，“我明白。组织内部是否有熟悉您购买标准的其他人可以给我类似的见解？”

向您表明您可以在不刺激，急躁或不安全的情况下平静地获得“否”，这会提高您在买家眼中的地位，并在下次获得“是”时增加几率。

23.试图让潜在客户轻松关闭

Reps often ascribe to the thinking that closing needs to be easy for the prospect, but that’s wrong. By definition, closing requires the salesperson to put the prospect in a mild state of discomfort.

如果买家不会感到少量的压力，他们就不会做出选择。而且“没有决定”总是比闭合游戏甚至封闭式失败。不要害怕将热量升高一些缺口以获得答案。

结束是艰难的，但是避免这些失误并坚持自信，简洁和“始终关闭”的心态，这会让您成功。

24. Closing When You're Not in a Closing Position

集线器Principal Account Manager Leticia Henry framed this point with a baseball analogy. She said, "If you think of the sales process as a baseball diamond, each base represents a different step in the sales process.

“Successful salespeople sell consistently because they follow a consistent, repeatable sales process. They have a clear understanding of both the purpose of each step and the outcome of that step.

“像棒球运动员一样，花时间通过每个基地的销售代表知道，尽管该过程可能比打一场本垒打更长，但他们更有可能更稳定地完成交易（或使交易回家）。

“Sales reps often try to close a deal when they’re not a position to do so — that's to say they’re on first or second base, but are trying to reach home base in one swift run. That may work some of the time, but it will not help you close reliably.

“您需要保持稳定达成交易的位置 - 要始终如一地到达第三垒。在第三垒之上意味着您可以对以下问题回答'是'：“你在和决策者说话吗？”“这个客户是否认识到他们有问题？”“客户想解决这个问题多少？”“客户想要我的帮助解决吗？”“客户认为我的解决方案可以帮助解决问题多少？”

“If the answer is 'yes' across the board, you have successfully put yourself in a position to close. If the answer is 'no,' take a moment to consider a few points. Reps in this position need to ask,'Where am I in my sales process, and what will it take for me to hit my next step?'

“本垒打很棒，但是您不能依靠它们来始终如一地回家。我的近距离约为60％。在我成功结束的背后原因之一是因为我每次都关注我的过程。我不会去for the close until I’ve covered all of my bases, every time. I don't close until I am in a position to close, every time. You need to put yourself in a position to close if you want to close consistently."

结束是艰难的，但是避免了这些失误，并坚持自信，简洁和“始终关闭”的心态，就可以为您带来成功。

最初出版于2021年3月31日1:45：00，更新于2021年3月31日