Episode 11: 6 Mistakes to Avoid When Trying to Close a Sale
Sharing your personal goals with customers? Spending all your energy explaining the product you sell? Afraid to ask for the sale? Learn the 6 mistakes to avoid when closing a sale and how to close sales confidently in today’s episode of The Ashly Locklin Show.
Here’s a preview of what you’ll learn in this episode:
Why you shouldn’t share your personal sales goals with customers.
What you should be focusing on when selling a product or service.
How to ask for the sale and close it confidently.
The mentality you need to close sales like a boss without feeling sleazy or salesy.
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Show transcript:
Hey there, friend! Thanks for tuning into today’s episode where I’m breaking down the 6 mistakes to avoid when trying to close a sale! As you know, I’m very passionate about helping female entrepreneurs get over their fear of sales and dominate the selling game - so I’m laying it all out today!
This episode was actually inspired by a recent experience I had while buying a minivan, yes, a minivan. I have reached that stage in my mom game where I now drive a minivan. But in the minivan’s defense, you honestly can’t beat the automatic doors and to be honest, the one we got is actually nicer and has more bells and whistles than my Mercedes SUV...so don’t on hate on the minivan! I’ll tell you more about my experience as I go through the mistakes to avoid!
So without further adieu, the 6 mistakes to avoid when trying to close a sale!
Mistake #1: Making it about you and your goals.
Don’t ever say these 3 things to a prospect or announce these publicly in your social media content:
“I’m trying to hit a big goal!”
“I’m trying to have my biggest month yet!”
“I’m trying to break my own record!”
Because what does that do? Makes it all about YOU and not them. And more importantly, anything you say afterwards will be perceived as you just trying to make the sale to hit YOUR goal. If even you do recommend something that would be the BEST fit for that customer, they’re just going to write it off as you trying to make money and push something on them.
Of course, I encourage you to have big goals like that and want every month to be better than the last, but don’t ever share these goals publicly or directly with your prospect because you will lose their trust immediately.
So instead of making it about you and your goals, ask your prospect what they want and need and make it all about that!
Which leads us into our second mistake:
Mistake #2: Not listening to the customer and understanding what he/she really wants.
The most important thing you can do is ask questions and listen! Dig deep and understand what the customer’s pain points are, what he/she desires.
Let me give you an example:
While trying to buy a minivan, we went to a dealer that was referred to us by a relative. When we called to see if he had the van we wanted, he said “I’m trying to have my biggest month yet!” (mistake #1) and can you come today?
We outlined exactly what we wanted but he was so set on making a quick sale, that he failed to listen.
What he didn’t understand was that in order to make a sale, you have to understand the customer’s pain points and desires.
My pain point wasn’t the monthly payments. So him harping on the discounts and deal did nothing for me.
My pain point was the comfort and class of the vehicle. I’m going from a luxury SUV to a minivan (living that 3rd kid life)! But he failed to listen to or understand that.
He told us the van we wanted wasn’t available anywhere, but we could get various down-graded options and colors that we absolutely did not want! He kept offering discounts and incentives for us to take him up on a can we absolutely did not want.
But his incentives and sales tactics did nothing for me because he wasn’t solving my problem or addressing my pain point…and he was getting aggravated and short with us (which is another mistake I’ll dive into shortly).
Instead of focusing on the external problem (she needs a minivan before this 3rd kid arrives).
He needed to focus on the internal problem (she doesn’t want to be a dorky mom in a minivan and is trying to hold onto her youthful life for as long as possible- so she needs a minivan that doesn’t make her feel her age and one that still feels like the luxury vehicle she’s been driving).
He didn’t listen and even if he offered one of the downgraded minivans to me for FREE, I would’ve declined because money wasn’t the issue and I had a very specific list of requirements.
After getting very aggravated and short with us, he said, “I’m sorry, I can’t help you.” and walked away from the sale! I was flabbergasted….I have never heard of a car salesman walking away from a sale! And I honestly wasn’t being difficult or mean. Now my husband is very sensitive, he’s an Enneagram 2, white on the color code, he’s the peacemaker and helper, and he was worried that we upset this car salesman by asking too many questions.
And I said, “Sean, this is his JOB! And we were trying to help him, but he just wouldn’t listen!”
Remember how he said there were no minivans that fit our requests in the entire country? Well I found 3 at nearby locations, one of which was owned by the same dealership. So this salesman could have traded for it, but was so eager to make a quick sale for his own quotas, that he missed the chance.
So the moral of the story is: listen to your customer. Understand what her pain points are. Get clear on what she desires and focus on that - NOT what you assume she needs or wants.
For example, if you sell health & fitness packages and someone tells you they want to lose weight. Don’t immediately try to sell them on the workouts because workouts might not be their problem. Nutrition might be their problem.
If your entire sales pitch and conversation is about workouts, she’s not going to feel heard or understood. She’s not going to see the solution you offer to her problem and she’s not going to buy from you - she’s going to go to someone else who will take the time to ask what she is struggling with, determine what she needs, and then present her with the perfect solution and offer.
Now let’s move onto the second part of the story, the positive sales experience we had with someone else and mistake #3:
Mistake #3: Focusing on the product or service instead of the solution or the result it will deliver.
This is one of the biggest mistakes I see business owners make - focusing on the product, detailing out every single thing in the package, focusing on the ingredients, making it all about what’s included.
When the focus should be on the solution it provides, the transformation they can expect, the results it delivers, what life will be like afterwards.
People don’t buy things, they buy the story of what the thing will do for them. The solution to the pain or problem they have.
One of my favorite examples is the story of the 1 inch drillbit. No one gets excited to buy the drillbit. A salesman wouldn’t be very successful focusing on the features of a 1 inch drillbit. Instead, we get excited about what the drillbit will do for us. It will allow us to hang the shelf in our living room, which will allow us to display pictures of our family, which will allow us to create more aesthetically pleasing decor and a more homey-feel in our living room, which will allow us to be happier and feel proud when guests come over.
So it has nothing to do with the drillbit, it has everything to do with what that drillbit will do for us.
When selling a shampoo, it’s not about the ingredients in that shampoo or that it wasn’t tested on animals. Sure, those things matter to some people. But what people really care about is how their hair will look and feel afterwards, how they’ll feel more beautiful and sexy and confident, how they won’t have to worry about dandruff or dead ends (or whatever the shampoo delivers). It’s not about the shampoo, it’s about what the shampoo does for us.
And this leads me to the 2nd part of my minivan saga. We called one of the dealerships that had the van we wanted and spoke to a salesWOMAN. She got the car ready and as soon as we walked in the door, she handed us the keys and had us drive it...no Fing around or wasting our time. She got right to it!
But while she was getting us set up in the car, she asked a series of nonchalant questions to really understand us and what we wanted.
After the test drive, she asked how we liked it and made a point to nonchalantly cover how this van would be perfect for 3 kids, how it will make life so much easier, how convenient it is, but how luxurious the inside is- that this model has more upgraded features than our current SUVs and we’ll still feel cool and classy in it. She nailed it. She heard what the other guy didn’t (mistake 2).
And not only that, she didn’t mansplain things to us- she didn’t waste our time. She knew we had done our research and knew all the things that came with the minivan, so instead of focusing on the minivan itself and all that was included, she focused on highlighting what the minivan could do for us and how we’d feel afterwards- the transformation and result.
So resist the urge to list out every single thing included in that health & fitness package you’re offering, and instead focus on highlighting what the results will be, how this particular option will be perfect for this customer, and paint the picture of what life will be like afterwards. Then when they want the details, you can share them. But don’t lead with those- lead with the solution it will provide and the results they’ll experience.
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Mistake #4: Focusing on the price of the offer instead of the value of the results.
This is very closely related to mistake #3, it’s not about the price of the product or service, it’s about the value they’ll receive, the results they’ll enjoy.
For example, if you create Canva templates for other business owners, and you’re very talented and quick, it might take you 10 minutes to create those templates. But should your prices reflect the 10 minutes of work you put in to them or the results the customer will experience after buying and using them?
If those templates will save your customers hours and hours of time and bring them new customers, you should charge what THAT is worth - not the work you put into it.
And when you focus on highlighting and selling the results, the benefits, and what this particular product or offer could do for them, it becomes a no-brainer.
Sure, price is traditionally a decisive factor, but customers won’t buy something just because it’s cheap or cheaper. Back to my minivan example, there were tons of cheaper options, but because price wasn’t my pain point and style and luxury were, I didn’t go with the cheaper options. I wanted the better option - and I’m a firm believer in “you get what you pay for.” I know that’s not always the case, but I can rattle off a list of brands I’ll pay top dollar for because the value is worth it (such as Lululemon - sure there are dupes and cheaper options, but none compare to the original. Or Patagonia - the quality is unparalleled and worth the price).
I recently filled my high-ticket mastermind, which was $9,000 a spot, and the women who joined weren’t sold by the details of what were included for the price, they were sold on what that investment would do for them - the value it would provide. They were sold on how they’d be able to gain the skills, knowledge, and accountability to have insane launches and cash months of their own. They were sold on the ultimate value of the mastermind.
Are there cheaper masterminds out there, sure. But the women who joined mine knew the value was more substantial and were willing to pay a higher price. And when I did discovery calls with them, I didn’t worry about selling them on the price (which sure, was very high and scary as hell), I sold them on their potential, their future gains, the picture of what their life and business would be like after this mastermind - the value of joining.
When you rely on offering lower prices, constantly discounting your products and services, doing special promotions, you get instant gratification and quick sales. But this also brings you bargain hunters, the customers who will buy from you now, but run to someone else as soon as they are tempted with a bigger discount. If that’s your demographic, great, go for it.
But if you’re having trouble making sales, it’s probably not because your prices are too high and you need to lower them, it’s most likely because you are not selling them on the value of what they are investing in and what it will do for them.
Mistake #5: Not asking for the sale.
Are you chatting it up with people in the DMs, sending emails back and forth, awkwardly fumbling through the ends of discovery calls, showing up on stories each day...but never asking for the sale?
Are you ending things with “let me know!” because you don’t want to come off as pushy or salesy.
Listen, you’re wasting your time and other people’s time but not asking for the sale. Don’t beat around the bush or wait for them to have to ask for the next steps. It’s your job and responsibility to guide them through the process and get the ball moving. Be confident in what you are offering and ask them if they are ready to move forward - and also include the main result they’ll experience/the problem they’ll solve. You can say:
“Are you ready to do this and {insert the results they’ll experience}?” Are you ready to do this and have $20K cash months?
“On a scale from 1-10, how ready are you to {insert the results they’ll experience}?” On a scale from 1-10, how ready are you to lose the 30 lbs and feel sexy and energized?
If they didn’t say, “10! I’m ready!” Then follow up with: “Thank you, can you tell me what is between where you are now and a 10? What is holding you back from being ready to {insert result}?”
“Do you want to move forward and {insert result}?” Do you want to move forward and say goodbye to your adult acne for good?”
Always present them with a yes or no question or start with a scale and get them talking about their hesitations so you can understand what is holding them back and what they need to move forward- maybe that’s a completely different offer or maybe it’s clarification on something they’re unclear on or maybe it’s your reassurance that this will work for them or maybe you need to calm their fears and paint the picture of what life will be like afterwards.
But ask for the sale!
And lastly,
Mistake #6: Not being a professional, credible authority who wants to serve the customer.
If you always operate with the intention to serve not sell, then you will actually sell because you won’t be coming off as salesly.
Instead of focusing on making the sale and hitting YOUR goals, focus on setting that customer up with the best fit for her. Focus on listening and understanding what her problems and pain points are. Offer free advice and value, establish yourself as a credible authority who wants to help her, not just sell to her.
For example, I provide lots of free content in my social media posts, in my free FB community, in this podcast, in DMs, and on discovery calls. When I was on discovery calls for my mastermind, I didn’t withhold tips and knowledge so they’d join me, instead I provided lots of free tips and ideas so that they could use them even if they didn’t join the mastermind. I genuinely wanted to see them succeed with or without my help. But that also allowed them to see me as a credible authority who could help them if they decided to join.
So focus on serving. Sure, most of my top tips and resources are reserved for paying clients and students, but I give a lot of free value daily in order to serve and be seen as an authority.
And most importantly, don’t be rude-be professional. If the customer asks a lot of questions, sure that can be annoying as hell, but the more clarity they have, the more likely they are to buy. So view each question as a step closer to them saying “I’m sold!”
As I mentioned in my minivan saga, the first salesman got aggravated and short with us. It was so uncalled for and unprofessional. You will get irritated by questions at some point, that is a given, but it doesn’t mean the customer should ever know you are irritated.
Even if they don’t buy from you, they could refer you to others. Whereas if you come off as a jerk, they most definitely won’t buy from you or refer anyone to you.
So to recap, the 6 mistakes to avoid when closing a sale are:
1. Making it about you and your goals.
Not listening to the customer and understanding what he/she really wants.
Focusing on the product or service instead of the solution or the result it will deliver.
Selling the price of the offer instead of selling the value of the results.
Not asking for the sale.
Not being a professional, credible authority who wants to serve the customer.
I hope you’ll share this episode with a fellow female entrepreneur and get out there and close some sales!
Thanks so much for tuning in, please subscribe so you get notified when new episodes drops, take a screenshot and tag me in your stories at @ashly_locklin and tell me what you thought of the episode!
Now get out there and make some money moves!
Show Notes:
This episode is brought to you by The Social Sales Content Bundle: ashlylocklin.com/the-social-sales-content-bundle
The social sales content bundle
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