Some people are surprised to find out that closing is only the fourth step in the sales process. There are two things that are important in closing the sale. Firstly, you need to be really clear on what you are offering. People must fully understand what your products or services are about. Secondly you must make it easy for people to buy from you. Now the reason that the step on closing is so far down the line, is that everything that you have done leading up to point is actually going to help you with your close. What do I mean by this?

What helps you to close the Sale?

You may have heard me talk about getting customers to respond to your offer. It helps to create consistency. I am a big fan of Robert Cialdinis book on Influence. In it he mentions the powerful influence that consistency has on people's buying behaviour. When they respond in a certain way it is natural for them to continue to act according to that initial response.

So getting people to put their hands up to show interest in your offer as a first step is actually going to help you close the sale down the line. Your initial contact and your subsequent follow up's are all parts of an interaction helps you to build a relationship with your clients. Each time you speak to prospects or send them a message you are feeding them more and more information about your product or service. In time they will know exactly what you offer and why it will benefit them.   So when the time comes for you to ask for the sale, it becomes an easy decision for them. They have all the information, they know all about you and there are few objections left to overcome.

Another way you can make things easy for your customers is to be able to accept credit card payments. Set this up so that you have a merchant account linked to your website that can process transactions online. This means that you don't have to be there for sales to take place. They can happen automatically. An essential part of building an information empire is automation, having systems in place that can send out newsletters and responses without you getting involved. Think about it, if you had to remember to send out a message to a different client each day of the week, would you really get around to it, and would you send out the right message? Automating this process not only makes your life easier, it actually improves your conversion rate.

Tools for Closing the Sale

•       Get customers to respond to your offer and express their interest. When they initiate interest it increases the chances of them buying from you.

•       Interact with customers and build a relationship with them. People are far more likely to buy from people whom they like and trust.

•       Automate your sales process. Put systems in place that makes it easier for you to follow up with prospects and close the sale.

•       Set up a merchant account so that you can accept online credit card payments. This makes the purchasing decision much easier.

Many people think that closing the sale is the difficult part of business. But as I have just illustrated when you have strategies and systems in place, closing actually becomes very easy. Make clear offers to your prospects, give them a good understanding of the benefits of buying from you, and make it easy for them to purchase. These simple things can help you close many sales.

Bernadette Doyle offers a free online small business marketing resource where you can learn how to WIN lucrative contracts and turn your small business into a Corporate Client magnet!

Access free marketing tips here:     http://attractcorporateclients.com/

List and analyze your core competencies, then meet with a business partner, coach or mentor and work through the same process.

One of the reasons business owners find it so hard to implement systems in their business is that they don't really know what's contributing to the end results. Do you know what your core competencies are? Do you give yourself enough credit for what you bring to your business?   What are the things that you are doing in your business that you could replicate with a system?

Finding Core Competencies

One of the exercises I do in my workshops is to pair people up. I do this so that they can begin to discover what their core competencies are. Experience has taught me that you won't know what to systemize unless you know what is contributing to the end results of your business. People often overlook everything that is involved and this is where it is helpful to get an outside perspective. You need someone to ask you the right questions so that you can pin point core competencies. You can also do this exercise with a personal coach or mentor.

Recently I worked with a client that wasn't sure how to implement systems in her business. We were talking about the 80/20 principle. I asked her just how much information that she covered in a session was the same with every client. Was it possible that 80% was basically being repeated for every client and that only 20% of what she was doing was being tailored to the individual? When she had a closer look she realized that this was true. Taking that core competency we then started to look at ways to communicate that 80% of information to her clients without her physically having to be there. We settled on the idea that she should record a tele-seminar. This would have more than one benefit. She could invite clients to tune in live to the tele-seminar. But for those that couldn't make the live seminar the recording would be available for download on her website. In this way her clients were still getting access to the information but there was less involvement on her side.

4 Steps for Finding Core Competencies:

#1 Reflection: Take some time to reflect on what you are doing in your business.   What actions or tasks are contributing to the end result?

#2 List & Analyze: Make a list of everything you do on a daily or weekly basis and then analyze this in terms of the end result.

#3 Get Perspective: Sit down with a business partner, coach or mentor and work through the same process.   Often an outside perspective will highlight things you haven't thought of.

#4 Systemize and Automate: Once you have your list, try to think of ways in which you could systemize these core competencies.   Specifically be conscious of how you can automate processes so that there is less personal involvement on your part.

To create systems for your business you first need to understand what you are doing that is ultimately contributing to the end result. What is actually feeding your customers information and bringing in the sales? Once you know what these things are you can start to find ways to automate the process.

I'd love to share more about what it takes to Create A Successful Business That Works For YOUR Life, and makes a DIFFERENCE to others.     I'm running a FREE teleseminar series exactly on that topic.     Join me by registering here:     www.clientmagnets.com/successcalls
If you’re looking to sell to corporates, visit my new Corporate Clients Summit page – new articles with loads of free advice and tips: http://www.attractcorporateclients.com

Two business owners compete against one another in the same field.

Business Owner #1 has worked in his niche for 30 years; he has a massive list of contacts; his reputation is impeccable; his clients are among some of the most satisfied in the industry.   His expertise is unmatched.   Word of mouth has been a friend to his business, but his niche is very specialized, which means that his name doesn't come up at many dinner parties.

Business Owner #2 is relatively new to the industry, also working in the same specialty niche.   She's still in the process of building her contact list; her clients are largely satisfied, but the verbal buzz hasn't elevated yet…she's simply too new.

Which business owner do you think has realized the largest profit in the last 12 months?

Would you be surprised to learn that it's Business Owner #2?

How could that be?

One word:   Marketing

Business Owner #2 invests whatever she can afford to lose in marketing campaigns, while Business Owner #1 simply can't seem to get past the initial dollar amount of the marketing expenses, and so, simply doesn't "get the word out".

As a result, the first business remains steady, but stagnant.   The second soars.

Business Owner #2 possesses a Millionaire Mindset. Here's what's going on inside her head:

•       Marketing is an investment.   Even if one campaign costs $4,000 (which is a significant amount of money for her fledging business), she anticipates that just one resulting sale will pay for the ad.

•       She views the campaign as an investment in her most valuable commodity – herself.   Because she has completed the research and knows that there's a noted demand for her product, she purchases each new ad with a faith that can only come from believing in herself and her business.   She thinks, I'm the best investment I'm ever going to make.

•       She never invests more than she can afford to lose.   Financially, she only invests what her business can survive without.   Emotionally, she only invests what she can lose and still hold on to a sense of hindsight without depression.

•       She doesn't ruminate over the dollar amount of each marketing endeavor.   Rather, she concentrates on its potential return.   She understands that she'll realize direct returns, as well as future, residual ones.

•       She knows that she'll never reach millionaire status by pinching pennies.

•       She understands that by pulling out her cash and throwing it against the wall of cash that has become frozen in this, a stagnant, economy, she's multiplying her chances of getting a return.   Unless she spends money, the wall of cash will remain rigid, eliminating a large portion of potential profit.

•       Though it was difficult for her to accept the idea of investment versus cost in the beginning, she becomes more willing to spend money with each profitable marketing campaign.   Because of this realization, she has committed to educate her clients about the benefits of marketing, which will contribute to the stimulation of the economy.

Investment and return will never be a chicken and egg debate.   Without investment, there can be no return.   The return will never come first…in fact, it simply won't come at all.

If you want to find your own millionaire mindset, you must separate yourself from the competition's aversion to marketing and getting your name out there.

You could spend your disposable income on a new car, or a summer home, or a vacation.   Or…you could invest that cash in an marketing campaign…so you can afford all three.

I'd love to share more about what it takes to Create A Successful Business That Works For YOUR Life, and makes a DIFFERENCE to others.     I'm running a FREE teleseminar series exactly on that topic.     Join me by registering here:     www.clientmagnets.com/successcalls