Gift Basket Business Blog

Making the Sale and Closing the Deal

April 24th, 2006 at 08:36am Lorie Obernauer

Are your salespeople order takers or master sellers? An article in Florist Review Magazine, April, 2006 explores techniques that can be used to make the sale and close the deal. These are great tips for all business owners who want to teach their sales staff how to be more effective.

In the article, Kelly Robertson (owner of Robertson Training Group in Ontario, Canada) explains some of the mistakes that salespeople might make. First, says Robertson, “they focus on the product or service instead of asking questions”.

For example, a sale often starts with a salesperson asking the customer what he/she wants. But they often don’t know exactly what they want! So then, it’s natural for the salesperson to start describing the types of baskets the business can offer. Instead, the salesperson might ask some questions.

Let’s say the customer wants to send an birthday gift. The salesperson could ask the age and gender of the receipient. This will provide loads of information regarding the suggestions the salesperson would make about types of baskets that could be sent. Furthermore, the answer might provide some opportunities to “upsell the order”. The customer may be willing to spend a little more, or choose something very special and unique if the gift is for a close friend or relation as opposed to a casual friend or business associate.

According to Robinson, asking questions and getting to know the customer’s needs, is the vital key for making the sale. But to complete the transaction, Robertson says that the salesperson has to “ask for the sale”.

According to Robertson, “we’re afraid of being pushy. We don’t want to upset the customers or have them think we’re greedy”. He suggests a simple, nonthreatening question, “would you like to go with that” is enough to help the customer make the decision.

Customers like to do business with people who know them and know what they want. Asking the right questions will build those relationships and create loyal customers who return again and again.

Entry Filed under: Business Tips