Closing

And there you have it – the Michelob Ultra text close!  Works every time. Of course it wasn’t the beer or the texts that “closed” this deal.  While it was nice to hear some commitment in our client’s text message, it was effort put forth over years to build this relationship and more recently in weeks prior to build this “plan” that actually led to this agreement.  And it was the persistence in follow up too, that just happened to be occurring via text (which is not usually the best way to follow up.)

When we observe and interview top performers across various sales organizations and ask them how they’re so good with “closing”, here’s what they tell us:

• Closing is a process, not an event or a “line.”  While it is important to ask for commitment and recommend a next step at the end of each discussion, it’s not that request or line at the end that seals the deal.  There are all types of “closes” – from the Mich Ultra text close to the Ben Franklin close to the calendar close. They all work if you effectively prepare, connect with the client, ask good questions, recommend relevant ideas, and handle resistance in a collaborative fashion.  And none of the closes work if you don’t follow a thorough process in your conversation.
• Focus on the buying cycle.  We often hear about our long “sales cycles.”  Believe it or not, sales don’t usually happen according to our sales cycles.  Sales happen according to clients’ “buying cycles.” Buying cycles may be determined by several factors like budget planning, executive availability, product launches, etc.  If you don’t know about these factors and their buying cycle, try to ask, and ask in terms of their interests: So that we can work together in a way that’s most helpful to you and your team, what is your process for making this type of commitment?  Lastly, try to be politely persistent if you don’t know their process and timeline and hopefully you’ll be on their radar when the timing is right.
• Be ready to suggest next steps.  Remember, your goal is not usually to close the huge deal every single time you correspond with your client or prospect.  Your goal is simply to gain commitment on the next step in the process. This may seem obvious, but we’re all better at suggesting the right next step if we’ve taken the couple minutes in advance of the meeting to identify that specific next step.  When there’s 2 minutes left in your meeting, you don’t have to put pressure on yourself to come up with the best and most relevant recommendation – you can usually identify it in advance. And when you’ve identified it in advance, you’ll ask a question or make a suggestion that leads toward that step.  

To close more sales – rely on your process, learn about their buying cycle, and always be ready with your ideal next step.  As you close these sales, you’ll be opening more relationships successfully.