Close, close, close. That’s the advice that has been repeated ad infinitum in sales training classes, seemingly forever. I say nonsense. Attempting to repeatedly close on an order may take guts, but it doesn’t take a whole lot of skill. And it doesn’t necessarily place you in any better position to acquire the business that you are pursuing. The skill is in having the instincts to know when it’s appropriate to close and when it isn’t.
Body Language et. al.
Body language obviously is one clue. There are entire courses devoted to that. So too is the case with facial expressions. Emphasis on certain words along with intonation and voice inflection are also strong indicators about what a person is feeling.
Timing Is Everything
The skill that I’m referring to, however, is exhibited by one who instinctually picks up on timing clues. Whether it be due to a particular pause in conversation or from one of the indicators suggested above, the best salespeople just know when it’s time to go for the close. They are highly skilled at sensing when an opportunity presents itself and then acting upon it.
Do Yourself A Favor
You’ve heard many times about the importance of listening more than you speak in any situation. It’s advised that it’s crucial to listen so that you know what’s important to the one(s) with whom you are speaking. Yet you very rarely hear this advice within the context of what I consider to be the most important reason of all. I have observed presentations whereby the salesperson is so engrossed in what they are selling that they remain totally oblivious to a golden opportunity to close. My advice is to do themselves a favor and simply talk less.
As with so many things in life, it’s all about quality not quantity. It’s not how often you close, but when you close. It’s learning to “size up the vibe!”
How are your listening and timing skills? What gets in the way of you closing more deals?
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You are so right about listening and I think all of us can do a better job of that…myself included.
I’m not a natural sales person. And,, I don’t try to close…it just seems to happen. I’m lucky because my customers like me and trust me, so it’s more like they are buying from me rather than me selling to them.
Glad to read your blog Al, as I frequently beat myself up after a presentation for not attempting to close at least 3 times. Sometimes it’s out of fear, but more often than not it’s because it doesn’t ‘feel’ right. There is a lot to be said for following your instincts.