How to close deals at a rapid pace
NOTE: I originally wrote this for SaaSSales.io, a terrific resource for learning more about SaaS sales. I’m a Founding and Premium Author over there so go subscribe and get the best content routinely.
Closing a software sale is not easy.
The software sales cycle can be a drawn-out, back-and-forth process. And that’s because the prospects most of the time do not have the experience or technological understanding to promptly make the purchase decision.
In most cases, the person tasked with the responsibility doesn’t have the knowledge or the time to focus full-time on procuring a software solution. It’s often an added responsibility and so they want you to make the process as easy and seamless as possible.
A successful software sale takes more than just the product; it’s also about the sales process.
It’s absolutely important that you are well-versed and prepared to be able to convince potential buyers to buy software solutions.
So, here are the five things that will make you more successful in selling software solutions to your prospects:
Be prepared
One mistake that salespeople make is showing up unprepared for a sales call. We all know that first impressions matter a lot, especially in sales.
So, before you meet with your prospect, be sure to do your research.
One thing you should do is organize your information and documentation in a way that it’s easy to refer to it at a moment’s notice. You also need to understand the product as well as other competing products in the market so that you can explain why your product is the best fit for the organization.
You could also make a list of possible questions that the prospect might ask and be ready to answer them satisfactorily.
This will not only prove that you are a professional but it also will build trust with your prospect. That relationship will make all the difference as you continue with the sale cycle.
Understand your prospects’ need
The first step in your customer development journey is discovery.
This involves understanding the industry they are in, their requirements, and the strategic objectives they want to achieve.
In other words, what are the important outcomes that your customer wants, and what are the pain points that they want to solve with the software solution to achieve their desired goals? What specific information do they need to make the purchase decision?
One way you can understand this is by talking to stakeholders at multiple levels. You need to talk to the top-level decision-makers to understand their overall strategic needs, but you also need to get down to the departmental level—the actual users of the software—to understand their specific requirements.
Understanding your customers will help you anticipate their needs and offer solutions that are the best fit to solve their problems. This will no doubt help you close more sales.
Genuinely care about your customers
I know it’s tempting to pitch your product and go for the close as quickly as possible.
But that’s the wrong approach.
Instead of just trying to sell them, ask questions to understand their needs better, and then help them find the solution that best promotes their success.
You are essentially the expert and advisor as they make the all-important decision to buy a new software. So, challenge your customers to do what they need to do to get to what they want.
Break down the jargon and simplify the complex concepts so that they are not intimidated.
Then, develop a clear and simplified process for them to go through to acquire the software solution.
Manage Expectations
Some customers will reject good software just because of a single feature that doesn’t fit their requirements.
The truth is that there is no perfect, ready-made software out there.
Any software will need to be customized and tweaked to fit the business requirements. And even then, there’s still a chance that something might be missing.
But as long as it covers the main requirements and solves the main pain points, it’s a worthwhile investment.
So make sure that your prospective buyers understand that as you take them through the sales process so that they don’t reject every solution you present to them.
Have a clear sales process
The sales process is one of the biggest game-changers in software sales.
Having a clear sales process is essential to being successful in your software sales career and that’s why I created The Perfect D. E. A. L Process.
Now, it doesn’t have to be a perfectly polished process, but you should have well laid-out steps that you take your customers through including deadlines, expectations, and deliverables to get them to the end goal.
The sales process boosts your customers’ confidence instantly. It shows that you know what you are doing.
The product demo is the most important part of your software sales process. It demonstrates the core capabilities and features of the software.
In essence, it helps you demonstrate how the software solves their problem and boosts their success.
The demo must be well done so it might be helpful to have a systems engineer or a developer in your team to demonstrate the process.
If properly executed, a software demo will have your prospects signing the dotted line in no time. On the flip side, if poorly done, it could make you fail to close a sale.
Conclusion
There is nothing more gratifying than successfully closing a sale after the long sales cycle.
If you want to stay ahead of the pack in your sales career, you need to understand and anticipate your customers’ needs, present fitting solutions, and follow a clear, replicable process to ensure success.
