The Art of the Sale

I’ve yet to meet a business owner who doesn’t want to increase sales. The question is always, “How do I do it?”

You can’t just tell people to buy or push them to make the decision. In fact, rushing a prospective customer is almost always counterproductive. Prospects need time to gain awareness, interest and desire before they’ll make the purchase. For inexpensive, low-risk products, all the steps might happen in a single sales session, but most purchases involve more complicated decisions and take longer. In all cases, though, the sequence never varies. Here are the six steps you have to take to nail a sale — over time.

Establish awareness
Before people will buy, you need to introduce them to who you are, what you sell and what your business stands for.

How? Use advertising, publicity, community relations and networking to gain awareness. Or, customers can do it for you with word-of-mouth introductions, which you can encourage by inviting and rewarding referrals.

Develop interest
Follow first impressions with information on how and why to obtain more information. Help prospects see that what you’re offering fulfills their wants and needs, prompting them to take a closer look.

How? Use sales literature, demonstrations and your Web site. Testimonials with endorsements from those already sold on your offerings can be extremely effective.

Create trust and desire
As soon as prospects think, “This sounds like something I’m interested in,” convert their interest to the belief that what your offering is trustworthy, of high value and something they want or need.

How? Use personal and video presentations, product samples and special or trial offers.

For example, a restaurant might host an open house to introduce its chef and specialties. A medical clinic might hold a free health-screening event. Packaged food marketers offer grocery-aisle samples.

Innovative realtors are offering overnight stays to achieve this goal. In Portland, Oregon, Realty Trust invites high-interest prospects to “test-drive” a river-view residence by spending a weekend experiencing the river views and glass-tower lifestyle. Todd Prendergast, Realty Trust's principal broker, reports that of the first seven “test-drivers,” two have already completed purchases. “Most had toured three, four times and were considering a range of options. These stays helped move them to the final decision.”

Watch for cues that it’s time to close the sale
Once the prospect gains awareness, interest and desire, ask for his order.

How? Prompt the purchase as soon as you see these indications that the prospect is ready to buy:

Nonverbal buying cues: Increased eye contact, open body language, nodding, agreeing, enthusiastic responses, making calculations, reaching for a pen or billfold.

Verbal buying cues: Increased questions about product usage, price and product details, customization options, payment plans, delivery schedules.

Seize the moment with the right questions
You can close the deal with a direct question like, “Which one would you like?” Or, repeat the customer’s stated needs and follow with a leading question; for example, “You want to be moved by fall, so shall we set closing for late July?” For complicated purchases, consider involving the customer in the closing; for instance, “Let’s work out a closing schedule that gets you moved in by August.”

Complete a flawless purchase transaction
Consider the sale as the launch of a relationship that will deliver repeat business and valuable word-of-mouth. Get off to a good start with an error-free contract or invoice that contains no pricing surprises. In retail settings, ensure a pleasant, rapid visit to the cash register. In both cases, package the product well and add an unexpected value — a gift, a new customer invitation or a meaningful bounce-back offer good on a subsequent purchase.

Each of these steps is a must-do to close the deal. And they’re all about planning in advance. No matter what you’re selling, create a plan for leading prospects from awareness to interest to desire to purchase — and to the launch of a rewarding customer relationship. That’s the real art of the sale.

Barbara Findlay Schenck is a small-business strategist, the author of “Small Business Marketing for Dummies” and the co-author of “Branding for Dummies,” “Selling Your Business for Dummies” and “Business Plans Kit for Dummies.”