The Pre-close - Testing Your Progress

The Pre-close - Testing your Progress

As you know, different people will react differently to your sales presentations. Given this fact, it would be helpful to know their level of interest in your products or services before you ask for the sale. Presumably you’ve already pre-qualified your prospect so you have a pretty good idea if they are in the market or not, but you don’t necessarily know how interested they are in buying from you. In other words, how likely are you to make a sale today?

You can find this out by posing a “pre-closing” question to your prospect, now, or any other appropriate time, during your sales presentation. This involves asking your prospect if they plan on making a purchase, should you be able to satisfy their needs. This question can be asked any number of ways, and depending on your situation, it needn’t be so direct.

The answer you receive won’t necessarily lead directly to a sale, but it should point you in the right direction at least. Even if it lets you know that your prospect is not interested it has served a useful function.

What questions could you or your salespeople ask to determine your prospects' level of interest in your products or services? You will use this information to design the pre-closing phase of your Sales System.

What type of answers would indicate a high level of interest? What type of answers would indicate a low level of interest? The first example is fairly direct, while the second one is much more subtle.