The board meeting is as always cozy, but little haunted. “I need leads”, the voice from the door entered before its owner.

Well this cycle of converting a prospect to a client can seem like it takes forever. You fixed a meeting with a prospective client, make follow ups, and you hope for a chance to make a sales presentation or schedule an initial consultation at no charge. You follow up some more; you try to close the sale. Months can pass, or even years, between your first encounter and getting the prospect to sign on the bottom line.

The motive is same but somewhere our approach goes wrong and that’s where the story of “10 ways to being of service instead of selling a service” comes. This section will torch on top 10 rules of closing a lead to client.

RULE #1: The mail mantra

We understand the promotion is important. Some believe that promotion can be done through hard core calling, coz that’s the easy and cheap way for a business to do in-house promotions, but when you are calling to a prospect for 10 times a day, you’ll hear, “Stop harassing me, you pest”.

Just tell them your existence in the market by an in-house made newsletter (please no hard colors), call those who showed interest by opening the mail or who clicked some links in it (Newsletter softwares provide these report generating tools). This way you are not entering where you are not entertained.

RULE #2: Treat prospects as if they were already your clients

Just imagine, what it would be like to treat every prospective client you encounter as if you were already working together. On every contact to your prospects, you offer an article they might be interested in, an introduction to someone who might help them with a goal, a suggesting mail to cope up with the changing trend in the market, or an invitation to an upcoming event in their field. Believe me they will never regret on investing their precious time on you.

RULE#3: Samples or Free pilot project

Everyone needs a testing. Once my client said, “I will surely start the outsourcing business with you, only if you consider in serving my business for a 30 days of free pilot project”. Be it a service industry or manufacturing giants, your prospects want to see a test, because it’s his/her pocket from where you are taking out the money.

RULE#4: Calling is equal to interruption

No matter how fruitful or how friendly the conversations in the past you are having with your prospect, you should not forget that your one call at one wrong time can prove to be the disturbing element. Always ask the best time to call, for this the initial conversation can be started with the emails or with the Skype. Believe me; they are comfortable on the printed format.

RULE#5: Be accurate and generous with the information providing

“Send me what you have”, is the most asked request we hear from our prospect. Some send everything, including the UK info pack to US prospect, that’s funny indeed and some feel like sending limited info, which would definitely do not solve the purpose. Be accurate and generous what you are sending, because what you had sent is the face of your company and I bet, you don’t want to snap it bad.

RULE#6: Listening is not injurious to health and wealth

Observe your lead closely and ask questions that will give you the information you need about them; make further enquiries or follow-ups to determine your lead's interest and capacity to buy.

RULE#7: Right party approaching is like winning half battle

“May I know what this is in reference to”, is the first question by the first person (receptionist). If you are an amateur in telephonic sales, who will say this is a sales call, the next advice from the receptionist is, “Please remove our contact from your database”. You know better, what you have to say; coz getting the right party form the reception area is like winning the half battle, because the more you tangle with the receptionist, lesser the chances of your approach to right person.

RULE#8: Ask questions, rather reading the poem

This rule emphasize on the presentation you give to the prospect over the phone or in person. We understand that giving introduction of company and for yourself will consume 4 lines and 30 seconds, the next line should come with a question, so as to make the interest going between you and your prospect, because you never know when the prospect will hang on you.

RULE#9: Make offers with meaning

This sales guy was talking to lady somewhat like this,

Sale Guy: We provide the best solutions in outsourcing of F&A services

Prospect: Which software do you use?

Sales guy: We are adaptable on all accounting softwares. Why don’t you try our 15 days of pilot project?

Tailor offerings or incentives that are targeted specifically to the needs of each lead. A thorough understanding of the needs of your existing customers - and your ability to quickly identify needs - will help you make offers to lure your leads.

RULE#10: Apply rules from 1 to 9