We’ve all been there.
A lead calls you while you’re in the middle of something. You answer anyways. The prospect is clearly in distress and motivated to sell their home, but they’re also hesitant about the service you offer – can they trust you?
Too hurriedly, you answer their questions and try to convince them that they can indeed trust you.
But something goes wrong and everyone hangs up without non-committal next-steps.
It’s only later that you think of all the things you could’ve said – but didn’t – to turn that motivated seller into a closed deal.
Dang it.
Truth is, a motivated seller that can be convinced to work with you is just a few right words away from working with you…
…and a few wrong words away from not working with you.
To help during your busy moments, I’ve put together a list of 7 closing phrases – for various points of the selling process – that could double the amount of motivated sellers you end up working with, without costing you any extra time.
Closing Phrase #1:
“It seems like our service is a good fit for you. What do you think?”
Assuming that your lead is semi-qualified, putting the ball in their court is a great way to find out just how interested and committed they really are.
If their answer to the above question is non-committal and vague, then they probably need more convincing. If, on the other hand, they say something to the affect of, “Yeah, I totally agree,” then they’re ready to move forward. Additionally, the way this question is phrased seems less sales-y and more collaborative, increasing the prospect’s trust for your business rather than hurting it.
Closing Phrase #2:
“I’d hate to see your stressful situation continue as it is. Want us to move forward with making you an offer and getting you out of this situation?”
Reminding the prospect that their situation is stressful doesn’t just increase how sympathetic you appear to the seller. It also reminds them that their situation is difficult, making them more likely to take action to solve it. And the way that the above question is phrased makes the prospect feel that you have their best interest in mind, which is good for convincing them to work with you.
Closing Phrase #3:
“Considering everything you’ve told me about your situation, when you need to have the house sold, and how our process works, we’d need to have a signed contract by [date] in order to meet your deadline. Can you commit to signing by then?”
When it comes to converting prospects, few psychological haymakers are as effective as urgency – the prospect’s internal feeling that they must take action before it’s too late.
And if the prospect is highly motivated to sell their house, then using their own sell-by date is a great way to create that spell-binding urgency for them to sign the contract as soon as possible.
Closing Phrase #4:
“It sounds like you’re ready to move forward. Would you like me to send over the contract?”
One of the worst things you can do on a sales call is to try and convince a prospect who is already convinced. Doing so often comes off as sales-y and untrustworthy – like you’ve got something to hide that the prospect isn’t aware of.
Once the motivated seller is sold, don’t waste any more time; pop the question. The above closing phrase is a great way to make the transition from consideration to conversion.
Closing Phrase #5:
“I understand that you want to take some time to think about the offer. But can I ask if there’s anything holding you back that you’d like to discuss?”
Imagine that you make the seller an offer and they say the all-too-common “Hmm… Let me think about it.” Often, that dialogue ends the phone call with an unfortunate hopefully-you-hear-back-from-them kind of tone. Which is why using the above phrase as a final way to address any remaining uncertainties is so powerful.
The last thing you want to do is hang up the phone when the prospect still has unanswered questions. Use this closing phrase to make sure that doesn’t happen.
Closing Phrase #6:
“What do you feel is the best next step to resolving your situation?”
When a prospect is dancing around your qualifying questions and making it difficult to determine just how serious they are about selling their home, the above question can work wonders to yank them back into reality. Sometimes, a prospect who’s avoiding your questions simply isn’t qualified for your service. Other times, they just need more proof that your service works. Use the above question to get the conversation moving in a productive direction when it’s gone off the rails.
Closing Phrase #7:
“I’d love to help you get out of this situation and put some cash in your pocket. What do you think of $XX,XXX? We could have it to you by [date] if you sign the contract today.”
This closing phrase is doing several things right. First, it’s putting you on the same team as the motivated seller. With the first sentence, you’re reminding the prospect that your primary concern is getting them out of their difficult situation and putting some cash in their pocket. Then, the last sentence adds urgency and realism, explaining that if they sign today, you’ll be able to get them their cash by a specific date.
If the prospect is ready for an offer, then this is one of the best ways to make an offer.
Conclusion
Trying to maintain a high motivated seller close-rate without increasing how much time you spend on the phone?
Well, the above 7 closing phrases are a great place to start.
Use them as much as you like and let us know how it goes in the comments! 🙂
For those of you who are looking to spend even less time on the phone while maintaining a sky-high conversion rate, consider scheduling a demo with us – at Call Porter, our professionally trained, U.S. based reps qualify, screen and schedule inbound seller leads for top-performing investors around the nation. Do you want to be next? Learn more about us here!