NerdBrand Podcast
The NerdBrand Podcast is at the intersection of nerd culture, branding, and advertising. Nerd culture is no longer an isolated subculture; it’s THE culture of the day and makes its way into our daily lives through the entertainment we seek and the technology we rely upon. Listen as we discuss our views on visual design, branding, and advertising for movies, comics and novels, video games, technology, and other nerdy passions.
NerdBrand Podcast
Closing Like a Pro: Unveiling the Secrets of Sales Success
Ready to transform your sales game and close deals like a pro? On this episode of the NerdBrand Podcast, we promise you'll uncover the secrets to recognizing client interest and mastering the subtle art of negotiation. We'll guide you through identifying body language cues, asking the right questions, and positively addressing objections to perfect your timing. Imagine yourself as a doctor—diagnosing problems and prescribing the perfect solutions to fit your clients' unique needs. That's the level of tailored service we're aiming for, and you'll learn how to achieve it.
We also share some light-hearted moments, drawing inspiration from Phil Dunphy's adventures in "Modern Family." Discover the human side of sales as we discuss the importance of understanding clients' true motivations and building genuine connections. With personal anecdotes and real-world examples, we explore how active listening and creating urgency can turn potential losses into wins. You'll walk away with a fresh perspective on sales that embraces adaptability and empathy. So tune in, and let's equip you with the tools to not only meet but exceed your clients' expectations.
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say that again. If I had a pet bear, take a guess what I would name it. What Lee, because he would barely be there.
Speaker 2:Okay. Well, on this episode of the NerdBrand Podcast, we won't annoy you with jokes like that. We're going to talk about how to close a sale. On this episode, no more jokes. See you soon. Welcome to this episode of the Nerd Brand Podcast where Jacob doesn't tell you any more corny jokes like that.
Speaker 1:Aw shucks.
Speaker 2:I know it's on the tip of your tongue. I know you can't help it.
Speaker 1:I know it's there I can tell Aw, shucks is a corny joke. Yeah, I got it See?
Speaker 2:yeah, I got it see. Anyways, closing the sale is a final step in the sales process. So, uh, I think we all know that it's defined by when you ask a commitment finally. So we're gonna go over some tips and, uh, we're gonna have you start off with uh number uno number one.
Speaker 1:Know the signs all right, and this isn't the signs like these uh, mel gibson version of signs, but it's the body language and questions and objections, all right, they all kind of really can really paint that sign for you right away. Um, body language very easily is just paying attention to the posture, the eye contact, how they're even talking or feeling about the scenario. That's an easy like, right away. You can pick up on the body language. There are a few scenarios where you know if you're dealing with someone who is more recluse, more introverted, and they're not really expressing their body language as much, it might be harder to read or to jump right away to that. They don't or do like it. But that's also just knowing the client, knowing the person in front of you, which I'd recommend you doing that, because then it's harder for you to read or pivot while you're in the middle of your closing process.
Speaker 2:On top of that, yeah, you got to do a little research on who you're talking to before you even begin the entire process. It's very important because now you know not you can perceive need. We talked about this before on the podcast, where it's like not enough sales people do enough research on who they're talking to yeah so it gets embarrassing when you don't really understand the business they're in and you're trying to offer solutions that probably don't even exist. The problem doesn't exist right, right.
Speaker 1:It's a scenario that doesn't even make sense, which leads into another one, which is the questions. If they're asking certain questions on pricing, delivery features, it's typically leading towards they're thinking the next step, they're already in the process of all right. So when I say yes, all right, what's going to be the process, how is this going to look? How's the end result going to be? And that's what really builds into. Really reading into. That is understanding. Hey, yeah, they're actually showing that interest of what this is going to be, but someone who doesn't want to do the sale. They're not going to care about how the delivery process is going to be. They're already aren't even bought on the product, so how do they care how it's going to get to?
Speaker 2:them Right. Yeah, I think a lot of the sales folks they got to explain to the people like, okay, once you're onboarded, this is what happens.
Speaker 1:Yep, step by step. That's a good salesperson, a good closer, because then people are going to be like, oh, all right.
Speaker 2:I know I them good hands of. This is what's going to happen, yeah, yeah, I mean it's. It's very important, because if you don't, then you're going to get objections and that's just going to stall the sale yeah, and that's also objections is also.
Speaker 1:A good salesperson is going to take objections in stride, because getting the no is right away in, especially when it comes to certain objections. It's telling you right away hey, I don't need to focus on that, don't worry about that aspect, because I already said no, I don't Like. If we were like, hey, yeah, we can even help with your CRM system. We already got a CRM system, so we don't need that now. Cool, no, don't even talk about CRMs, don't even talk about crms, don't even need to bring it up. Boom, now you can focus on closing the sale on something else. Well, your website, oh, all right. Well, how does that look? How does the typical website pricing work for you? How does that? All right? Cool, that's a right away great example of you're really reading the signs and understanding their one objection to all right, where they actually had the questions, and then showing the body language and interest into the other aspect yeah yeah um, asking for the sale.
Speaker 2:I mean there's uh getting the next section for number two what is?
Speaker 1:that dos is that dos, dos okay yes, um so a direct approach, um, I'm direct yeah, I mean, that is actually the simplest, simplest and probably one of the more overlooked ways that people do, because people are afraid to directly ask for something. Yeah, a lot of it's against human culture to directly ask for something like that.
Speaker 2:When I'm in a room and somebody wants to really like if you're trying to learn about nerd brand, my brain is like well, we said everything I think we wanted to say online or this podcast. So I'm thinking like, okay, you're still fielding me for the solution for whatever problem you've, because sometimes people don't reveal a problem immediately. They kind of they're, they're honestly embarrassed by it. So you know, our job is to not like. We're like doctors, like, okay, show me the rash. Okay, Well, that's not from this, that's from that, but if I don't see the rat, I can't tell you anything till you show me so right, that's why john and mitch are always like we're doctors.
Speaker 2:Well, the applicable way of describing that is something embarrassing, like a rash. So it's like I kind of cut to the chase because I'm already in a process of of a transaction with you, because that's sort of what you've done to me. I mean, I'm very literal in in those terms, which is why I have no problem bringing up money, because I'm like budget's needed. It's just I'm not to cause I'm trying to reach for whatever it's I I don't know what I can do. I don't know what you can do, because there's so much available. It's not like. There's like I had a conversation one time with somebody online, on the phone, rather, they were a referral from a friend and she was trying to help and it was like, well, what do y'all can do? And I said, well, there's hundreds of marketing channels. I don't know what you want me to say here. And he's like, well, give me a couple. And I'm like, well, this doesn't work that way. I'm sorry.
Speaker 1:What have you done that hasn't worked or worked? I would have almost been like oh wait, what can you do? And I would have been like oh, I can rub my belly and pat my head Right.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'm pretty good at that. I can chew gum and walk at the same time. Uh, yeah, I mean I'm not going to retread ground. It doesn take here Um the alternative is to make.
Speaker 2:Uh, you know, I've heard this a lot and this doesn't work in our industry I know your predecessor and others have tried it like offering us you know packages. I think you've been around long enough. Now you can see why we don't do packages. Um, they're not really true form, they don't really exist to a certain degree, but then they really don't, because everybody's got a unique business and unique needs.
Speaker 1:So, to be honest, for us a package is actually just a retainer. I mean, it's the better way to put it. Yeah, the package deal is you have us on retainer for six to nine months.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that is it and you know you. Can you tell me what you can afford to pay based on what you're asking me for? You know you can say, like this is what I would like to have you do, okay. Next question is what do you? Uh, what can you afford? Um, and then if you tell me that number, I would tell you that no, because it's like going to buy a car, you know. I mean, I want a Corvette, as long as it'll work. I think that a lot of that has to be made up and, you know, made clear up front. Summarizing the key benefits based on what we've discussed, does it sound like a good solution for you?
Speaker 1:You know that famous line. Does it sound like everything you were asking for?
Speaker 2:Yeah, and you know, that's just sort of a way to kind of get them to understand, like, hey, you're definitely in the transaction process now, like yeah, that's a hate.
Speaker 1:So this is everything you're asking for. This is where we want to close it right here.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And that's our do. Actually I know I have a tendency to do this, bringing shows and such. But uh, one of the shows I feel like people don't give credit to is modern family. For phil dumpy sales, closing as a realtor, and like how he always talks about he's the best man in real estate and all that kind of stuff, and like one of the episodes he has a guy literally dragging him around to hundreds of different houses multiple times.
Speaker 1:Guy has like a laundry list of specific needs, finally gets it it's the house, it's a perfect house, the guy loves it and everything. And then it right at the end goes well, and maybe. And then he basically gets all mad and upset, like phil does. And then walks away and then actually goes and talks to someone hey, he does what he should have done to start with him and like why is he so terrible to deal with this? And the guy's like well, because he just enjoys hanging out with you. That's, that's why he likes it, because he wants to have a friend like you and that's what he's enjoying, not so much house hunting.
Speaker 1:The house is perfect. So once he came across that he made the sale, went back. Hey, he addressed the issue hey, I'll, I'll still be your friend. I got no problem with that. Just buy the stupid house. I'll be your friend all day, and so that's that's. That's a simple what the scenario was essentially and yeah, that's all I needed, and that was basically understanding and redirecting the closing sale. He literally was like hey, are you buying this house or not?
Speaker 2:yeah, basically. Yeah, this is, uh, this is my livelihood. Man, I gotta eat. Uh, you know I've shut sales down by saying that actually, that's not a recommended way of closing one that's my uh that's my abrasive cue to tell everybody in the room like we're done here um handling objections, listening actively. Uh, let, let them express their concern, even if they wander, basically for a bit yeah, it doesn't really happen much empathize. I know I know quite a few people that couldn't do this.
Speaker 1:I mean empathizing. I feel like that's a way of understanding their pain point better. That's how I try to take. It is like for the coming up and with an objection. All right, I understand, this is where it is. Yeah, um, that's also another sales trick. Never really say no in any sales negotiation process, um, use other words, direct it, because once you start saying no a lot, then the other person's going to feel comfortable saying no.
Speaker 2:Then you have addressing the objections Clear, concise answers, yeah, and you kind of touched on redirect the conversation too. And, by the way, we didn't say we're on number three, but whatever, we got five.
Speaker 1:You'll figure it out in the end.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you know, AI is going to give it numbers and chapters and stuff that we don't even publish but, yeah, addressing the objection, I mean that one should just be a quick hey.
Speaker 1:Yeah, all right, I understand, like that's kind of bringing all of them together. Uh, to be honest, is you know? Hey, I understand that that's an issue. All right, this is how we would approach it and fix it. I mean, that's just like you're just saying, coming with the solution.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I had somebody that got stuck on. He clearly had jacked it on what he thought the cost would be, which I was just like it's actually a pretty fair price. But he just kind of got stuck on one thing and I couldn't get him off of it. So I was just like okay well, that was it. And then you know, sometimes you just don't win if they're, they're that stuck. Um, there's just folks that get really, really rooted into that problem.
Speaker 2:And the objection is like they don't have money and that's why they're objecting. They, they don't, you know if they don't trust you or if they've heard the same thing. I mean, sometimes you just don't win, you know, and you gotta be okay with it. Um, but anyways, number four build urgency. Limited time offer. I've done this. It's really funny. This is really easy to do with photography, because if people like want to take a picture when it's green outside, well, look at a calendar.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Go outside and look at what time of day it is, you know, otherwise we're going to do a bunch of winter shots or fall.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And that could be specifics for that, but yeah, I can't, I'm not god, I can't control that.
Speaker 2:So right, um, if you, especially if you wanted to look authentic, uh. But yeah, you can kind of build urgency around that because of the time of year. Black friday is always our funniest time because people will come around first of october. We're like too late. Yeah, I think we actually had somebody come around November, beginning in the first week of November, and it was like are you kidding me? It's two weeks away. There's no way we're going to get that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, not a campaign built up and creative and thought process thought through yeah. Built into the system as well on top of that, yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, somebody said a while back, it's kind of like building a house. I mean, it's, uh, takes six months to get the permit and then like six months right now anyways, I imagine I'll go away later but six months to get a permit for some places and then takes you another year to build it. And it's like, uh, yeah, I can imagine not living in your own house you just purchased. If you're gonna buy a build for, you know a year and a half, so yeah, don't, don't decide to move out of your wherever you're at and then expect the house to be done and go directly into it.
Speaker 1:Nope, you know, have a plan?
Speaker 2:yeah, have something going there, yeah, um scarcity and then potential loss. Well, it kind of deals with that limited availability. I mean, really it's a little bit.
Speaker 1:FOMO. Yeah, you're missing out. I mean that's a big one there. Um scarcity. I mean that's. It's why I actually uh, don't mess With the Zohan reference of the people are like, oh yeah, my business is going out of business. They're like, oh, your business is going out of sale. And he's like no, it's actually good for business.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it is. I mean, there was a carpet place that did that and I was like my old mother started noticing it and I was like, yeah, they might want to change the strategy there.
Speaker 1:I think the big lots over right down the street from here and the arrow ones actually had a sign of going out of business, but then now they have signs up, oh no, we're staying in business. Well, I think they actually made up their loss.
Speaker 2:They got bought out by somebody. There's a lot of companies that are being bought out, Like right now. I made Mitch sad because Frisch's is going out of business. There's a lot of them in Cincinnati around that area. They're getting evicted from their estates and buildings. Yeah, it's nuts right now. So there's literally a report came out three weeks ago that the Lexington and Louisville markets are uncertain about their futures with the Fishers. Fishers like the Peanuts, no, frisch's, you know, like Big Boys, oh.
Speaker 2:Yeah that's Mitch's favorite restaurant, the Big Boys. Yeah, he loves the cups. He got like free coffee cups, or I don't think they were free, but you know the waitress really liked him, so you know she gave him a cup and he got to take it home. He drinks out of it all the time. I'm like you know you could have found out as a brand guy who the cup came from and just ordered one.
Speaker 1:Right, you have the N, you have the.
Speaker 2:N, but that's his favorite place. He loves big boys, which is just a variation of a Big Mac. He loves big boys, which is just a variation of a Big Mac, but yeah.
Speaker 2:So, anyways, the urgency there. So that covers that. So, follow up number five thanking your prospect, regardless of the outcome, gratitude for their time, schedule a follow up and address any concerns. Yeah, schedule up a follow up. I mean the second one there in that bullet point, especially if the sale is not immediate. This is what kills me. A lot of the sales people that I've met lose the sale because they don't follow up, they don't call, they don't email, particularly call um, and then they wonder why they're not having a. They're having a dry spell and I'm like you're not talking to them.
Speaker 1:Right, not top of mind.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and then if you use AI, well then you can tell you know when you follow up. That's, that's the, that sends a message in of itself. So I don't know, I've always seen that over the last two years or three years and in your role, particularly where they didn't do that and uh, then they would wonder why they couldn't. They never closed anything, I think, in their mind. I noticed a couple things in their mind that they'd had it, which I thought was just wild. I couldn't get my head. I still can't get my head around that on the perception that they have it when they don't have ink on paper yeah, it's not to the pen and paper signs yeah, yeah, it's still there you know it's not closed until you have that contract.
Speaker 2:And I always thought that was interesting, like how sales people sort of jump to the close when they don't have the clothes. And I kind of get like you're trying to impress your sales manager, you're trying to show your value to the company you work for, but it kind of gets annoying because then they see that name in the CRM week after week after week and you're like you got this yet.
Speaker 2:I've done that to you because I've been like, where is this at? But there's just some people that just I remember they would just go through the list of people and I was like, well, that's great, they went through the list of people. But I heard this list already. Who is moving forward?
Speaker 1:Yeah, who's what's on the next stage? If everyone's in the first stage, then all you have is a list of names.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so remember closing a sale is a skill. And follow these tips and build confidence in yourself and increase your closing rate and achieve your goals and blah, blah, blah, overcome objections.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:If you need help on figuring that out, we can recommend a CRM. Get you plugged into it and get that done. It's something that I think every business should have is a solid CRM to understand what's happening in their business. Have a solid website that can capture the leads and campaigns running that can also attract the customers the right customers at the right time that you need.
Speaker 1:I would say a few sales books for your sales team to be reading as well.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:Well, you know, there's a lot of books on sales You've got to understand what clientele you're going to use for your books. Certain sales books they gear towards high-impostal sales. Some gear towards long negotiations or big contracts. It's just understanding which book and I would say that's where you need that type of book and your sales team should build around that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, don't just grab a random book off the shelf.
Speaker 1:Sales Boom, cool yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, like Simon Sinek is great, but they may not be for you. Yeah, yeah, you might not have a product or service that hits that yeah so, anyways, if you enjoyed this episode of the nerd brand podcast you know where to find it and make sure you check us out nerdbrandagencycom slash podcast and tune in next friday for the next episode. Remember, keep your nerd brand strong.
