A struggling sales rep hadn’t hit quota in, well, ever.

The manager couldn’t figure it out. It was apparent to me after listening to just a few calls.

See if you can pick out the commonality in all of these examples from calls:

“Keep us in mind the next time you need something.”

“Let us know if we can help.”

“We’d love to work with you on that project.”

“Let me know if I can answer any more questions on this price quote.”

These phrases ask for no commitment. They’re not proactive. They don’t ask for the sale—they wish for it.

Every time you or your salespeople end a telephone call (or an inside visit), there should be a request for some type of commitment to ensure they’re moving closer to a sale.

Granted, a sale might not take place on every call, but we can likely get some type of commitment each time.

Here are plenty of brief tips you can use to ask for and get more commitments and sales.

Don’t always judge success by the “yes” answers you get. Measure your attempts. Set a goal for the number of times you’ll ask for the business today. Celebrate when you reach that goal. The sales naturally follow.

Closing Question: “Gene, we seem to be in agreement that these motors are what you’re looking for. What do you suggest we do?”

Closing Question: “Kelly, what can we do together to speed up the process and make this happen?”

Closing Question: “Are you thinking about getting three of them?” Use whatever amount would be just a tad higher than what they likely would do. This prompts a decision, or more conversation.

Ask for commitment with conviction. Your tone of voice does matter.

Those who expect more, get more. Don’t sell yourself short when asking for the sale. Ask big.

A question to help them determine what should happen next: “What is the next step?”

Closing Question: “We could have these delivered by Tuesday. What would you like me to do?”

To upsell, don’t mention the next price break, as in “You can get a better deal if you buy 50.” Instead, simply mention how many more they need to get the price. “You’ll save $1.50 per unit by getting only five more.”

Help them visualize themselves owning and using your product/service. “If you had this, how do you feel you’d utilize it?”

State the agreement you’ve reached, then ask for the major commitment: “Jan, since we’re in agreement that this is what you’re looking for, and it’s within your budget, let’s go ahead and get the paperwork started, OK?”

Closing question: “Sounds to me like you’ve already decided to go with these tools. Am I right?”

Closing question: “Do you have further questions, or are we ready to proceed?”

Closing question: “Is there anything else you need to know to move ahead with this order?”

Listen for “possession signals,” signs that they’ve already visualized themselves using your product/service. “What we’d likely do is get enough for each of our locations.”|

A major reason customers don’t buy more from their vendors: they aren’t asked to by the vendor. Be sure you’re satisfying every need you possibly can.

When you’re writing up an order, don’t say, “Anything else?” We’re all conditioned to say “No.” Instead, make a tangible recommendation based on what they’re already getting, then ask for the sale. For example, “Many customers who get ____ also find ____ to be of great value because (fill in with the results they realize).”

“Pushiness” only occurs when you try to sell someone something they don’t want or need. Asking for the sale is not being pushy, assuming you’ve questioned effectively and made the appropriate recommendation.

Don’t just wish for the sale: “I just wanted to let you know these do come in several colors, and we could even custom order one for you.” Be sure there is no question that you are ASKING for it.

Tie the timing of the next call into their commitment to take some action. “What day do you feel we should speak again, so that you’ll have had enough time to collect those specifications?”

Ask for decisions. Don’t let people put you off. It wastes your time and money. Equate getting a decision—yes or no—with success. Get in the habit of asking for commitments and sales and you will instantly show increased results.