Strengthening Your IoT Marketing Efforts
Marketing & PR

Strengthen Your IoT Marketing Efforts with Three Effective Closing Strategies

IoT marketing endeavors are going to be more successful if the salespeople using them are informed regarding the best closing strategies. These strategies must be practiced and honed with relevant data. That in mind, three strategies that can help you attain more effective closing include:

  • The inoffensive/logical close
  • Self-convincing
  • Client-initiated closure

1. The Inoffensive/Logical Close

This is an IoT marketing technique which works best with clients that are near the “type A” personality— they push forward, they weigh the facts, and they make the most informed choices they can. What salespeople will do with this one is start by going over the conversation they’ve already had with the prospective client. They’re reading back the client’s order, basically. Since the sale hasn’t closed, after the client agrees that the salesperson has properly covered all needs, then they ask a few questions designed to logically demonstrate in the prospective client’s mind why going with the offered IoT services is the most sensible thing to do. Those questions are something like these:

  • “Do you think I understand your business and what you’re working toward?”
  • “Does the plan we’ve come up with seem like it’s going to fit in with your company’s goals?”
  • “Have you put together an equally effective alternative?”
  • “Should the demonstration we give live up to our conversation, would you like to enter into a partnership with us?”

The summation question comes off as suggestive without being forceful, allowing the client to make the decision themselves— and based in sound logic. For this to work, the salesperson must actually understand the business and the business’ aims, design an IoT plan that will meet those goals with the greatest effectiveness possible, and one that’s more effective than the majority of alternatives.

2. Self-Convincing with a “1 in 10” Scale

This one works more with potentially passive clients more likely to sit on a proposal for a long time and forget about it. Basically, the salesperson asks the client which ranking— on a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being “end the call” and 10 being “let’s sign now”— the client feels what the presentation deserves. This must be done at the end of the “pitch.” If the client says anything under a seven, something has gone wrong. Going forward in a “positive” way may not be possible and it could be time to end the call. But if the client says seven or higher, the next question should be something to the effect of: “So high! That’s a surprise. What makes you rate us that high?”

At this point, the client must go through, mentally, that which prompted them to give a 70%+ rating. They’re re-confirming their positive considerations about your IoT business. When they’re finished, the next question should be something like: “You do certainly sound more pleased than I expected, but why haven’t you given us a ten rating, then?”

At this point, the client can safely voice objections and your salesperson can match them as best as possible. Once that’s done, if the client is ready to close, then close them. But if the salesperson wasn’t able to talk them up to a 10/10 rating, the next strategy is to ask the client of the benefits of your IoT company outweighs the detriments. It’s important to establish prospective fallout beforehand. Do it right and you can get on to signing the contract.

3. Client-Initiated Closure: Perfect Performance

Design a technique for salespeople to use which helps them design a template that demonstrates numerical advantages for clients. Use averages among existing clientele to help design the template. Once familiar with it, the salespeople can cohesively demonstrate value and convenience to prospective clients. If they do well enough, the client will ask something like: “Where do I sign?” And that’s a perfect close.

Closing More Clients Through IoT Sales

IoT marketing should be well-informed with facts regarding the benefits of the Internet of Things. Those facts should be molded into a framework and then presented to varying clients in ways which fit their personality types and demeanor, as well as the businesses they represent. This kind of strategy will increase successful closure.

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closing deals
Sales

5 Effective Sales Strategies for Closing Deals Faster

Businesses need to reevaluate their sales strategies, as customers continually change how they make their purchase decisions. Such changes in customer behavior present a thin line between persuasively marketing your products or services and sounding annoying and arrogant. However, with a solid strategy, your company can be in a better position to maintain consistent sales and close more deals. That said, here are five strategies that your sales personnel should leverage when closing deals.


1. Identify the Decision-Maker

Regardless of your industry, identifying the decision-maker is crucial to closing deals quickly. Presenting a convincing sales pitch involves providing insightful information and answering their questions accurately. Note that decision-makers often send their juniors to listen to presentations made by marketing teams.

If such is the case, ensure that you tailor your sales pitch to suit the decision-maker's interests, even if they didn’t attend the pitch. Obviously, the best option would be sitting with the decision-maker. So, do whatever it takes to land a meeting with this particular person.


2. Understand the Difference Between Selling and Closing Deals

Most marketing teams don’t understand that selling and closing deals are completely different. Most people are excellent at selling - right from describing the value proposition - but aren’t that great at closing deals. Simply put, selling involves providing a convincing value proposition to clients, while closing deals involves signing agreements.

That said, if you struggle to make a close, you aren’t making a sales proposition at all. You need to ensure the prospect is ready to close the deal. To ace this, practice the sales pitch and closing techniques separately to get a clear picture of these distinct phases.


3. Ask Early

When it comes to closing deals, asking early is one of the best things that you can do as it evaluates the readiness of your clients. You might be making progress, and the client seems to be buying into your products or services, even before you proceed deeper into the presentation. Though risky, asking if they are ready to make a decision determines if you can make the close immediately or if you need to do a little more convincing.

If you get a resounding “No,” proceed with your demonstrations and revisit the question at the end. Surprisingly, most clients are convinced within 10 minutes of a 30-minute presentation. Plus, closing deals early saves you from boring clients and taking up more of their time with excessive information that they don’t need.


4. Be Ready for Objections

Marketing teams should always be ready and learn how to deal with objections before hitting the sales forecasting metrics. If you have done this before, you’ve probably come across comments such as “We don’t have enough budget for your product,” or “We can’t make purchase decisions today,” and many more.

However, you can deftly maneuver around clients’ objections to successfully close the deal. On the other hand, you should expect a frank admission that your proposition wasn’t enough to convince them into buying your products. Either way, preparing and learning how to deal with objections cautions you from embarrassment or the possibility of being put off without knowing the underlying reasons.

As a pro tip, compile all potential objections that you expect when closing deals and prepare appropriate responses. You can find someone to act as the client and rehearse in advance.


5. Be Flexible with Financing

Payments and cost of products should be a deal-breaker when closing deals. For instance, if the client can’t afford your products or services, provide flexible monthly payment options. Similarly, if they are hesitant to purchase premium products with high price tags, offer low-cost versions with slightly similar features. If the client understood the benefits of the product, they might consider taking up a more affordable or payment-flexible option.


Bottom Line

Marketing teams understand the feeling that comes with shaking hands after closing a deal. However, the events that precede this excitement are undeniably challenging, and most sales personnel dread them. Having identified your clients’ problems, provide a solid value proposition, demonstrate a sense of urgency, and implement the strategies mentioned above to close deals effectively.


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closing deals
Sales

How to Close Sales Deals with Gatekeepers

Sometimes, all it takes is to convince one person to close a deal. However, failing to impress that person can equate to a lost sale. In this article, I will be sharing tips on how to effectively deal with gatekeepers so that you can be in the best possible position to move sales forward.


Why Business Gatekeepers Exist

One of the biggest challenges in a sales position is getting past a gatekeeper who controls or influences decision-making, but they are there for a reason. Gatekeepers exist for businesses to prioritize and route communications with company outsiders as a way to limit access to decision-makers. Some executives simply don't have enough hours in a day to answer every phone call or meet with vendors. The gatekeeper, like a security guard, screens requests to essentially manage all of their traffic, which helps the company save time and be more productive.


How to Engage with Gatekeepers

Here are some useful tips on engaging with gatekeepers:

  • Be Respectful - Don't try to be confrontational. Show them that you care about their professional opinions and perspectives and are interested in working with them to achieve their goals.
  • Personalize the Experience - Spend some time getting to know them and talking to them about their interests. This will give you more insight into who they are, giving you the opportunity to personalize your approach.
  • Be Professional - Consciously embrace business-friendly language. And when you get the chance to present your offerings, let them know that there is value for them in building a business relationship with you.
  • Listen Carefully - One of the most important aspects of business communication that involves sales is to listen to the other person. Don't do all the talking. Allow for two-way communication. By showing them that you're listening, you will more likely win their trust or at least engage in further dialogue.
  • Avoid Small Talk - Even though you don't want to come off as only caring about the sale, you need to limit small talk so you can spend more time on discussing your offerings. Besides, a busy manager doesn't have time to go on and on about the weather.
  • Prepare Yourself with Research - The more you learn about the company, the better chance you have of making a positive first impression. Show them that you have a solid understanding of their business and how they work.


Build a Relationship with the Gatekeeper

The best thing you can do when meeting or connecting with a gatekeeper is to establish a relationship that allows for further conversations. You don't always need to close a deal in one meeting, and in many cases, it's better to ease into a business relationship before presenting a sales pitch.


Conclusion

Working with gatekeepers can be challenging for salespeople, but it doesn't have to be stressful. The key is to reach a common ground with them through personalization, listening, and engaging in a friendly, polite conversation.

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