4 Ways to Turn a Proposal Into a Sale

2. A Series of Agreements

This is a variation on the trial close approach. You want to be confident that your prospect is following your line of thinking and that your prospect hasn’t zoned out. Along the way you ask questions like, “Does this make sense to you?”, and “Are you comfortable with that?” The expected answer is “Yes” in all cases. If you get a different answer, you can slow down and address the client’s concerns. When it comes to asking for the order, the logic is, “A series of yes answers is rarely followed by a no answer.”

3. The Next Step in the Process

You are a professional. You probably have a big firm behind you. Your prospect is talking with you because your client assumes you aren’t learning as you go along. Your firm has helped hundreds of thousands of people in similar situations. You (and the firm) have a process. You simply say, “Implementation is the next step in the process.” The prospect realizes there’s a plan put in place beforehand.

4. Signing Paperwork

Another advisor divides the sales process into talking and acting. Presenting the proposal is talking. The prospect is listening. The next step is taking action. The advisor says, “To get started, we need to complete some paperwork…” The advisor gets the client started on completing the forms needed for opening an account.

None of these strategies is adversarial. You are looking for the client’s agreement, involvement and decision to proceed.

— Read 10 Ways to Tactfully Get Your Point Across, on ThinkAdvisor.

Bryce Sanders is president of Perceptive Business Solutions Inc. He provides HNW client acquisition training for the financial services industry. His book, “Captivating the Wealthy Investor,” can be found on Amazon.