Knowing the direction your call is taking gives you more power to control it. Develop an ear for verbal signals that tell you your prospects are ready to buy, and you can respond quickly and maintain a steady course toward the close. To help you translate verbal cues into buying clues, Sandler Sales Institute vice president Bruce Seidman and SAS Institute account representative Kathryn Inscoe tell you to pay attention to prospects’ words, tone of voice, rate of speech and other audible indicators. Listen carefully for these signals and you can interpret them to discover the shortest route to a sale.

Perfect your timing
During the decision-making process, prospects may change their minds every time they consider a new buying pro or con. To seize opportune closing moments, Inscoe says, you must be sensitive to signals that tell you when buyer moods swing in your favor.

“Identifying when buyers are ready to buy is key to being successful,” she says. “If you can’t pick up on signals that prospects are sending (rate of speech, tone, choice of words or even silence), then you could very easily miss the opportunity you seek to maximize.”

Strong signals
In selling conversations, as in all others, some statements you can take at face value, while some warrant close scrutiny. Look behind a casual question about pricing, for instance, and you’ll often find serious buying intentions. Among the statements that always indicate a green light to Inscoe are buyer references to third-party approval or agreement that their needs match product benefits.

“Corporate prospects signaling their readiness to close often say that they’ve obtained manager approval or that evaluators of my software agree that it meets their needs,” she says. “The buyer acknowledges the product’s value and has internal acceptance. When I hear that, I know the opportunity to close is in my hands and I cannot let it slip away.

“When selling to individuals, I know it’s time to close the sale when buyers ask if I offer a money-back guarantee. This indicates that they are on the verge of committing to the product, but want to eliminate any risk before releasing their personal funds – just in case they are not satisfied. They may also ask, ‘What’s the turnaround time for processing and shipping?’ or ‘How do I secure the order?’ These are signs that the buyer is ready for closure.”

These positive buying signals are cause for celebration, but negative signals – expressions of concern or fear – aren’t always cause for alarm. Bruce Seidman explains that just as optimistic prospects might share their buying hopes, pessimists may tend to share their fears. In that case, negative signals are a reflection of the prospect’s personality – not an indication that they won’t buy. Instead of rushing to address the concern intellectually, Seidman says, dig for the emotion behind it.

“When negative-type prospects ask negative-sounding questions,” notes Seidman, “some salespeople may think they’re losing the sale. They may answer those questions right away when they should be finding out, gently and delicately, what the real question is, because it’s always hidden. It takes a string of questions asked in the right way to get prospects emotionally involved enough to finally say, ‘I was really asking if I’m going to lose my job if this thing doesn’t fly,’ even though their initial question was ‘How reliable is your product over 1,000 trials?’ That initial question is usually intellectual, not emotional. You’ll never be able to look for these closing signals if you’re always up there at the surface, at the intellectual level.”

Watch their tone
Your prospect’s statements can tip you off to their intentions, but words don’t tell the whole story. What buyers don’t reveal in words they often reveal in voice tone, volume or rate of speech. So that you don’t get your signals crossed, though, Inscoe reminds you that communication styles vary widely, so different rules apply to different prospects.

“Tone of voice is unique to each customer’s personality,” she notes. “The tone of voice prospects use often tells you how close they are to buying. After many sales calls, I’ve told myself buyers sounded excited, even when they never used the word “excited” in our conversation. I found it in their tone – and every salesperson knows the tone of excitement when they hear it.”

Seidman agrees. The broad spectrum of prospect personalities, he says, means that the same rate of speech or tone of voice may mean two different things when it comes from two different buyers.

“You have negative and positive prospects, introverted and extroverted prospects, dominant prospects – so the tone changes based on who is in front of you. Prospects who are visual and think in pictures often begin talking more quickly before they buy. For intuitive buyers, on the other hand, who rely on gut feelings to make decisions, slower speech rates often reflect the serious thought they’re investing before they buy. Introverted prospects are often ready to buy when they clam up – they incubate.”

Make a smooth transition
When all your buyer’s signals give you the green light, strive for a smooth segue from presentation to close to maintain forward progress when it counts most. To ensure a smooth transition, Inscoe makes sure that she understands buyer intentions correctly before stating her own.

“When I hear a closing signal, I make the transition to close by quickly picking up on their momentum. I first restate to them what I just heard, then have them confirm their interest and intent and, finally, let them know what I will do to get the product in their hands ASAP.

On sales calls, your buyers’ position dictates your selling direction. Stay tuned and attentive to their buying signals and you’ll have a better idea where they stand. With that information as your guide, you’re well prepared to make more informed, more effective decisions regarding your own best course of action.