What is the MOST important thing you've learned about closing the opportunity once you know what will help them and how?

Closing shouldn’t be hard, it is just another part of the sales cycle. Closing the deal only becomes hard when the prospect is not ready to buy. Why do salespeople think prospects are ready to buy when they are not? How do the salespeople get all the way to the end of the sales cycle with a prospect and not know whether or not the deal will close? It is because the salesperson has moved forward in the sales cycle and the prospect has not.
In these circumstances the salesperson may be thinking:
“I’ve done everything I can, given you all the information I have, answered all of your questions and provided for all of your requests. Why won’t you buy now?”
The prospect may be thinking one of the following:
“I am not ready to buy so I don’t know why you expect me to.”
“You have overwhelmed me with information that I now have to explain to the others involved in the purchase and they are all too busy.”
“This was a priority for others in my company so I rushed to get everything they needed and now it is on the back burner and I don’t know what to tell you.”
“Although I understand your product’s bells and whistles I still don’t really know if your product is the best solution for my needs.”
“Our priorities have changed and I don’t have time to call you back or I feel bad so I don’t want to call and tell you our decision.”
Effective closing starts with getting commitment. Commitments need to be made in each step of the sales cycle by the prospect as well as the salesperson. Typically, salespeople don’t think about getting the prospect to commit until the end at closing time. Salespeople are very good at making commitments and giving information to their prospects. They know everything about the product or service they sell and are enthusiastic to share that knowledge. They feel their solution is the best and of course the prospect should choose it. We want our salespeople to feel this way and the reality is that the prospect may not. We want our salespeople to get good at getting commitments and information from the prospects. This should be easy if the salesperson is seen as a problem solver and not someone who is pushing their product or service whether it fits or not.
When approaching a prospect, salespeople need to start by asking questions to understand the situation and determine if their solution is a good fit. Once they have done that they should share only the information that shows how the product fits and educate the prospect in any areas needed. If the interest continues they should ask for a commitment from the prospect.
Answering questions like the ones below, making introductions, reading or reviewing material for the next conversation, scheduling another meeting or trying a product and rating it are examples of commitments a prospect could make. Come up with commitments that are appropriate for each step in the sales cycle. In order to move a sale to the close good questions need to be asked in the beginning. Here are some examples:
• What is your budget?
• Who else besides yourself will be involved in making the decision?
• What is the best way to include everyone involved in the decision making process?
• What is your timeline for implementation?
• What is your timeline for making a decision?
• How will our solution meet your needs?
• What other solutions have you considered?
• When should I get back to you to learn of your decision?
If the prospect won’t answer the questions or make any commitments it is a signal that the sale is not moving forward. Either find out why or go work on some prospects that are ready to buy. Follow up with that prospect in a couple of months when things may have changed. And even if they have purchased from someone else, follow up and see how that worked because it may not have. Closing the deal is really about getting commitment and the final commitment is making the purchase.