‘Closing‘ is the action on the part of the salesman to close the sales transaction. Closing the sale is nothing but making the prospect say ‘Yes’ to the salesman’s proposition. It is the simple and logical conclusion to a satisfactory and successful completion of the various steps of the selling plan.
Thus, securing a positive reply from the prospect to the selling plan of the salesman is otherwise is known as ‘closing the sale’. The rule for closing is as simple as ABC – ‘Always Be Closing’.
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The final stage in the selling process is closing the sale. This is the climax of the various efforts made during the earlier stages of the, selling process which includes prospecting, pre-approach, approach, presentation, demonstration and overcoming objections. All these steps usually lead to a sale at the stage of close. The ultimate objective of the selling plan is to sell products and services to the consumers.
Therefore, closing the sale is the final step in the selling programme. Unless a salesman is able to close the sale successfully, all the earlier efforts with the prospects simply go waste. Therefore, closing the sale is the most important and crucial stage from the point of the business.
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The objective of closing the sale is to persuade the prospect that he or she should act now and not later, usually in favour of the sales proposition. In other words, it aims at converting a desire into a demand by convincing the prospect in favour of the purchase. This, in fact, is the climax of all the efforts earlier made by the salesman. If the salesman succeeds in drawing the curtains down at the stage of closing, he is considered efficient.
Successful closing, as a matter of fact, provides the tangible results of a sales proposition. At the earlier stages of selling, the prospects need to be thoroughly convinced about the advantages and the benefits of the sales proposition.
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Successful completion of the earlier stages of selling leads the prospect to form positive opinion about the product or service, salesman and organisation and ultimately saying ‘yes’ to the sales proposition.
In that case only the salesman can ask for the order. At the stage of closing, the prospect is converted into a customer. At this level of selling, the ability of the salesman to convert the desire of the prospects into expressed demand is put to crucial test. A lot of self- confidence, tact and experience are required for the salesman to close the sale successfully.