The "one call close" is a description of a selling situation where it is generally accepted that the salesperson needs to close the business with the prospect at the first meeting, or the sale will be much less likely to occur. This is typically the case with much retail selling, selling in consumers' homes, selling timeshares, door-to-door selling, and many other selling scenarios.
Some incorrectly equate one call close selling with aggressive or sleazy sales techniques. This isn't the case, but successful selling in a one call close environment does require significant sales skill. The one call close seller must convert a shopper to a customer in a quick and efficient manner.
Many who sell in a one call close environment love the quick results you can achieve in this type of selling. Unlike selling products or services that typically have long sales cycles (like many B2B selling situations), the one call close can feed selling personalities who need constant, ongoing immediate results, rather than waiting weeks or months (or even years!) to get sales results.
Here are five sales tips for successful one call close selling:
1. Follow a sales process.
The sales representative who relies on a strategic selling process is much more likely to achieve sales success. The sales process is a road map to the sale. Random selling simply doesn't work in a one call close environment. Use a well-conceived sales process to take your prospects on a journey from "exploration" to "owning."
2. Create sales momentum.
Sales momentum is the inertia that is created during a sales interaction that eventually ends with the customer buying your product. Sales momentum is so valuable because it helps prospects get over that speed bump of indecision, or the consumer's status quo paralysis (even when a prospect wants your product and has money to pay for it, the power of the status quo can cause the prospect to delay, or avoid entirely, a buying decision). Sales "speed bumps" are not like barricades, but momentum is required or the speed bump becomes a barricade.
3. Become skilled at closing.
Much has been written about closing the sale over the years. Nowadays, sales closing has taken on a negative aura in some sales circles, with some sales gurus even proselytizing that sellers shouldn't focus on closing, or that they never teach closing. I disagree. Yes, the close is a logical conclusion to a compelling sales process, but a customer agreeing to buy is never a foregone conclusion. The skilled sales closer helps the customer take action - everything else is just talk.
4. Become skilled at handling objections.
Prospects throw both valid and false objections into the sales path. Sometimes, these objections are merely automatic responses, thanks to consumers' automatic response mechanism that causes them to say "Let me think about it" (or other common objections) without even thinking about what they're saying. The skilled one call closer knows how to get the prospect to get beyond these automatic responses and enter into a meaningful discussion about their real hesitancy to move forward. That's a very valuable sales skill.
5. Build the relationship quickly.
Sales relationships are important. But some assume that when we talk about building relationships that we're talking about long term relations (the type that an account manager in a B2B selling job might need to create). But successful one call close sellers are adept at creating substantial relationships quickly, even if they are short-term relationships. One call close selling is still a very human activity involving two or more human beings, and relationships between humans drive commerce.
Link to original post