Business is all about sales, customer satisfaction and profits. The biggest problem that new entrepreneurs encounter is how does one close the sale?
I have trained people in my sales force and the biggest mistake that they made was not to know when to shut up! Let us say you are in the middle of a presentation and you start seeing buying signals. Stop right there and ask for the business. You do not always need to do the full spiel.
Overselling once you have a clear buying signal leads to more failure in closing the sale then any other mistake that beginners make. If you reach this point then stop selling and start quantifying delivery schedules and payment terms.
When the customer is filling in your order form, stop chit chatting until they have filled it completely and signed it. Then carefully take their order, put it in your briefcase, smile, say your good byes and leave for your next appointment.
Another idea to help beginners in closing the sale is to work on their presentation. If they have quantified precisely what they are selling and have dealt with possible objections in the presentation, then when they finally meet the customer to do "the business" the close will be a lot easier.
One excuse a sales person will often encounter is that the buyer does not have all the details at hand to complete the order form. Rather then leaving without the order form perhaps it is better to get it signed and take it away with you. You can always fill in the blanks on the phone.
If you feel that the customer is slightly hesitant to buy but does like the idea, then a free trial often works wonders. Why do you think that many internet sites offer the first month for free with payment starting in month two?
Many people mistakenly believe that there is some sort of magic involved in being a great sales person. Most of what a great sales person does is just basic common sense. A carefully crafted presentation to an interested customer, followed by watching the client carefully for buying signals and then following these with a simple close is all it takes.