If you don’t ask, you’ll never know. Nowhere is this more true than in sales. As easy as it sounds it is the most neglected step in sales and marketing.

You can listen to hundreds of sales pitches or review as much marketing copy and you will often be hard pressed to find the “ask.” You will hear and see lots of features, maybe a little bit of benefits, but rarely will you find a “will you buy one?”

I think the formula for successfully asking for the sale is similar to the classic good communication rule of thumb:

• Tell them what you’re going to tell them
• Tell them
• Tell them what you told them

Tell ’em What You’re Going to Tell Them

Right out of the gate make sure your prospect understands why you are there. Nothing is worse for the customer than trying to guess, “What’s the catch?” Ever sit through the old Amway pitch? Excruciating!

Be clear on what you are selling and what you are going to be asking them to buy–then move into why they are going to want to make that purchase decision.

Tell ’em

As you move through your benefits and what it is in it for them don’t forget to remind them what’s in it for you. Nothing makes a prospect more skittish about an offer than not understanding how you benefit.

Have you ever heard a sales pitch where you aren’t quite sure how the pitchman gets paid? It impacts trust. You feel like you may be entering into a scam.

Be right upfront–“When you buy one I get earn a commission.” The masters of this are car salesmen. How many times have you heard, “I am willing to give you a great deal on this one, because it puts me over my quota for the month.” It is cheesy, but he is clear on the fact that you are getting a great deal, because it benefits him.

It is a trust move. It makes the pitch more believable.

Tell ’em What You Told ’em

Don’t end the conversation without asking for the sale one last time. Whether you are looking for the real pain point, the real decision maker, or the real timeline–make sure you remind them that you want them to buy.

Try asking more and seeing if you sell more. How do you structure your “ask?”

If you liked this post please sign-up to the RSS feed or get them via email and avoid missing the next Better Closer sales best practice.