Closing-A State Of Mind
There are many traits that are evident in a professional salesperson: Good communicator, effective prospector, industry expert, just to name a few. But perhaps the most important trait a professional salesperson must have is the ability to close.If you're thinking, "He means, 'close the sale,'" you would be wrong. Well, at least you're not exactly correct. Often, people think closing is what you do at the end of a call when you ask for the order. And while technically this is true, it is far from the most complete and accurate definition of closing.
Webster has 15 definitions for the word "close." The three that most closely fit the unfortunate way most people think of a close in selling are: 1) To conclude discussion; 2) A hostile encounter; 3) To engage in a struggle.
But the Webster definition that I think most closely fits the way professionals think of a close is the one that incorporates the word in a dance step. A "close" in selling is more of a dance step than an encounter or a struggle.
Here's Blasingame's definition of a close in selling: Closing is a strategic communication tactic used in selling to gain agreement from the prospect that the foregoing information, or dialog, has been accepted, thereby allowing the next logical step to proceed.
There is a key word in my definition that is essential if you are going to understand closing in selling. Reread my definition and see if you can pick it out. I'll wait. Hmm, Hmm, Hmm.
Find it? If you chose "foregoing" you would be correct. The reason foregoing is the key word is because closing doesn't just come at the end of the sale when you are ready to get the contract signed. Closing starts with...
...the VERY FIRST contact with a prospect,
...is an ESSENTIAL component of EVERY step of the sale,
...and DOESN'T STOP until you get the order, or get kicked out.
The first Webster definition I listed above is partially correct: One close in selling is to "conclude discussion." But believe it or not, you can conclude discussion without ending the sales call. No, I'm not crazy (I don't care what you've heard.) Here's what it sounds like:
Prospect: Okay, what's your price per dozen?
Salesperson: Mr. Jones, before we talk about price, just so I know I've done my job so far, I want to make sure we are squared away on delivery. When you asked me about my delivery schedule, you said you were concerned that our schedule wouldn't meet yours. Now that you understand my company's ability to deliver on the days you need restocking, can we agree that my ability to deliver is no longer a concern?
Notice what happened: The prospect tried to take control of the call in the most aggressive way possible, by asking for pricing information. Whether this is the appropriate time for the salesperson to talk about price is one issue, but I want to focus your attention right now on four other very important things.
1) The salesperson didn't let the customer gain control.
2) The salesperson made sure he closed the prospect on the "foregoing information or dialog," in this case, delivery. I like to think of it as "closing the door on that issue so the prospect can't go back through it later.
3) The customer's likely answer will be a "yes."
4) The close didn't come at the end of the sales call.
Who Has Control?
One of the benefits you accrue by being an effective closer is it helps you gain and maintain control of the sales call. Let me explain why that's important.
In a few minutes, when our salesperson is ready to ask for the order, our cunning prospect is likely to resist by bringing up the delivery issue again, or something else - anything else. If the salesperson has closed the prospect on those issues, as he did on delivery, all he has to do is remind the customer. Here's what that sounds like:
Salesperson: Well, Mr. Jones, it looks like all we have to do now is get your authorization and your new widgets will be on your dock next Wednesday. Your pen or mine?
Customer: You know, Jim, I'm still concerned about the delivery schedule.
Salesperson: Now Mr. Jones, if you remember, a few minutes ago when we talked about your delivery requirements, you told me that my delivery schedule would meet those requirements, and that you weren't concerned about that anymore. Has something changed since then?
Remember, it's a prospect's nature to resist, just as it's a salesperson's nature to close. When these two meet, you have "the dance." The question is, who leads? If the salesperson has been closing at every step of the sale, she leads. If not, well, we don't want to go there, do we. A busted sales call is not pretty.
How Many Closes Do You Have?
If I asked you that question, what would you say? One? Three? Six? Someone asked me that question once, after I had been selling for a few years. I thought about it for a minute and said, "I don't know." By the way, that's the correct answer.
If you are new to selling, it's okay if your answer is one, or two, or three. Hone your closing skills by beginning with a handful of the most effective closes, like the aggressive Sharp Angle Close, the handy Alternative Close, the smooth Similar Situation Close, or the cute and cuddly Puppy Dog Close. But once you've logged a few hundred hours in the marketplace with your briefcase and samples, you should completely understand the concept of closing, know all of the dozens of identified closes, and know them so well that you can use any one of them, or mix, match, blend, slice, dice, and julienne two or six of them into one closing opportunity, and slip in a trial close when the prospect is least expecting it.
"TRIAL CLOSE? Where did that come from?," you say. Once again I've anticipated your thoughts. It's totally intuitive: A trial close is when you go for more than just a closing step early in the call, and try to close the sale.
When do you try to close the sale? Early and often! Anytime you make a closing step and the prospect seems to like what he or she is hearing. Especially if you hear or see a buying signal.
"BUYING SIGNAL? He did it again!," you whine. Settle down. I know, if you are new to selling I just dropped another unfamiliar term on you. A buying signal is anything that looks like a prospect is ready to buy, like nodding as he holds your newest model, or sounds like she is ready to sign up, by saying, "that sounds good."
When you see or hear a buying signal, you MUST do a trial close. Here's what a trial close sounds like:
Prospect: I like this new feature. Do all of your products have this now?
Salesperson: Isn't that great?! Yes, and I can have six delivered with the new "feature" this Wednesday, or will you need them sooner?
Ka-Chingggg!!!
If you miss a buying signal by only answering - "Yes, all of our products have that." - you have committed THE Cardinal Sin of selling, and the patron saint of selling, Saint Myron, will come down and whack you on the forehead with the palm of his hand.
NEVER answer a buying signal with just the answer. ALWAYS follow the answer with a closing statement or closing question.
One Last Thing
When you ask a closing question, the next thing you do is absolutely the most important of anything we have discussed so far. No matter what close you use, or when you use it, after you ask a closing question...
No matter what happens, after you try to close, SHUT UP. Because he who speaks first, loses. If you speak first, you may lose the sale. If the prospect speaks first, he will either give you the answer you want, or another objection. Either way, you got something out of him that you can deal with: A "Yes," in which case, you sign him up; or an objection, which provides you with information to take you to your next step.
Write this on a rock... Pick one of these and have it tatooed on your hand: Closing is a state of mind. Remember the ABCs of selling: Always Be Closing. Closing is something you do at every step of the sale, not just at the end of a sale. Close early and often. If you do, the ca-chinging will be deafening.
