This document provides guidance on developing best practices for closing sales and getting orders. It discusses focusing on long-term relationships over short-term gains, communicating a desire to help customers rather than just make a sale, using effective closing strategies to overcome objections, and avoiding common mistakes like giving up too soon or poor communication that can sabotage success. The document asks questions to help salespeople reflect on their own behaviors and identify areas for improvement in their closing approach and interactions with customers.

1. DEVELOPING BEST PRACTICES FOR CLOSING THE SALE AND GETTING THE ORDER
SALES
HAND-TO-HAND COMBAT
SALES FORCE
TRAINING & DEVELOPING
A FACILITATOR’S GUIDE

2. Short Term Vs Long Term Focus
1. How do you close a sale and build a
relationship?
2. Does it take more time and energy to
generate a new customer than keep an
existing one?
3. Do customers just give you their business
or do you have to ask for it?

3. What is a Closing Attitude?
1. How do you communicate “I am here to
help you”?
2. How do you let the prospect know you are
calling to do business and not just provide
education or visit with them?
3. How do you instill the idea within the
customer that s/he is buying when you
know that customer’s like to buy, but few
like to feel they are being sold to?

4. Closing Strategies I
1. What are common buyer fears in your industry?
2. Describe a close of sale that was easy for you.
3. Describe a close of sale that was difficult for
you.
4. Do you have a closing strategy? Describe it.
5. Describe a time when you have gotten price
resistance at the close of sale and how you
overcame it.

5. Closing Strategies II
1. Describe a closing technique that works most of
the time.
2. ABC (Always Be Closing)
 What are closing questions you ask throughout the
sales process
 What do you say when the buyer signals
 How do you handle the first rejection or no at your
first closing attempt?

6. Closing Strategies III
1. How do you counter customer who says “If you
can’t meet – whatever – we can’t do business”?
2. Describe a situation where a customer didn’t
actually need what they said they needed, but
they were simply trying to get a better delivery
date, price, terms, etc.
Has your experience been that successful sales
people with high self-confidence and high self
esteem tend to fall prey to this situation less than
salespeople with opposite traits?

7. Mistakes That Sabotage Success I
Provide Examples….
1. Giving up on a sale too soon.
2. Giving in to self-imposed limitations.
3. Spending too much time with poor
prospects.
4. Letting sales slumps get you down.

8. Mistakes That Sabotage Success II
Provide Examples….
1. Selling at the wrong level.
2. Being a victim to sales cycles.
3. Letting lost business go without a fight.
4. Not knowing your competitors.

9. Mistakes That Sabotage Success III
Provide Examples….
1. Losing control of sales process.
2. Not building trust early in relationship.
3. Not getting to decision maker soon enough.

10. Mistakes That Sabotage Success IV
Provide Examples….
1. Lacking a precise call-back approach.
2. Selling low price rather than high value.
3. Seeing the sale as a transaction rather than a
process.

11. Mistakes That Sabotage Success V
Provide Examples….
1. Not asking for the business.
2. Lacking an effective closing strategy.
3. Advertising concessions in advance.
4. Lacking a lost-sale strategy.

12. Communication I
Are any of these applicable and how
can you avoid doing them?
1. Do you send emails instead of calling?
2. Are you sometimes vague and non-committal?
3. Are you a poor listener?
4. Do you respond quickly enough for requests for
information, help or answers?
5. Do you get annoyed when you get a no when you
were expecting a yes?

13. Communication II
Are any of these applicable and
how can you avoid doing them?
1. Do you follow-up when you say you will?
2. Is your word your bond?
3. Do you treat their questions or concerns lightly?
4. Do you act like you understand something when
you really don't?
5. Do you ever make assumptions?

14. Style Questions I
Are any of these applicable and
how can you avoid doing them?
1. Do you act like a customer owes you the business?
2. Do you take customer loyalty for granted?
3. Do you work as hard to keep the business as you did to
get it in the first place?
4. Do you just "check in" when in reality you are hoping for
a sale?
5. Are you only concerned with selling something or
helping solve a problem?

15. Style Questions II
Are any of these applicable and
how can you avoid doing them?
1. Do you make commitments you can't honor?
2. Are you ever rude, arrogant or inattentive?
3. Do you pass the buck on problems or customer issues
or complaints?
4. Are you ever late for anything?
5. Do you need to improve your customer knowledge?