When you have a telesales team, they are going to be representing you and your business. So impressions count. The question is, how do you ensure the best chance of your telesales staff getting it right, and not falling foul of the age old mistakes that waste your time and money? 

In real terms, you need to invest in the best sales training possible, especially if your business is based somewhere like London or New York where competition is high. And after all that great training, what you don’t want is your sales people getting sloppy and making the same mistakes right at the end of the call so the sale doesn’t close. 

Here are 7 big mistakes sales reps can make when trying to close. Have a think and see if your team has ever been guilty of any of them. 

• Closing too soon – If you try to close when you should be building rapport or exploring the client’s needs and dealing with their objections, you will risk seeming pushy and needy. This turns the customer off immediately. 
• Relying on your sales material – Your sales material may be good, but they will never be good enough to close for you. Sales materials aren’t only your products and brochures, but also things like your website and social media pages. People want to know how your services or products can help them. You are still needed to assess the customer’s need before they can be convinced that your solution is the right one for them. 
• Convincing the wrong person – The decision-maker is unavailable, so you try to close with the person whose responsibility is close to the final buyer. This leads to miscommunication and dialogue that misses the mark. If the decision-maker can’t speak to you, use the person you’re talking to, to see what criteria they’re using to make their buying decisions. Then plan another meeting with the decision-maker. 
• Failing to close at all –This is a huge one, because it ruins all the hard work you’ve done before. Look for the signals a buyer is giving out that say when they’re ready to decide. Asking your closing questions puts pressure on the buyer, and this leaves you in danger of not obtaining the sale. 
• Thinking the sale will close itself – A buyer wants to buy from you because there’s a difference between what they have now and what they could have in the future. So the buyer has to be convinced they are worse off without your solution. This is the right time to ask for their business.
• Not understanding buyers – The most important part of the sale is why the customer needs your stuff in the first place. Find the criteria for their decision making during discussions and go in that direction without just talking about features and benefits. However, your telesales staff must know how to discuss with the clients properly and understand the client’s needs.
• Over-closing – Many people talk themselves out of a sale. When a customer has agreed to your proposal, identify the next steps to close the sale. Don’t keep selling to them. 

It’s those last few minutes of a sales call that count. Until the point of closure, a quarry is still only a potential sale. No matter how long they have stayed on the line or how many questions they have asked. So stay alert. If you are going to monitor your staff’s process, save time and home in on the last 3 minutes of the call. It will speak volumes.