Contrary to popular belief and the words my mother often said to me – I was not raised in a barn.
“Close it, Jeffrey!” she would say, with her finger pointed to the door which I had left open as I hurried inside to catch the next episode of, Batman.
Admittedly, she had to do this at least twice per week on Wednesdays and Thursdays due to the show playing on both nights each week. As the Wednesday show came to an end with the standard cliffhanger, the announcer would say, “Tune in tomorrow to see what happens. Same Bat time, same Bat station.”
My mother didn’t have to repeatedly remind me about closing the door because I could not seem to get the technique mastered. To the contrary, I was quite good at closing the door. I could do it left handed. I could do it right handed. I could do it fast or slow.
I was an excellent door closer. I simply had other things on my mind at the time, and I forgot to do it.
Even though it is a basic skill in sales, many people approach the close in the same way I approached the door to our home. We know we should close. We know how to close. But for some reason, we forget or choose not to do so.
Remember this quote from Zig Ziglar:
“We ask people to buy from us to feed our family – not our ego.”
– Zig Ziglar
Since feeding your family is very important to you – developing your closing skill set should be equally important.
Use Trial Closes:
Ask questions at the beginning of the sales discovery period to establish a decision making process. Find out (by asking) if anyone else will be involved in the final decision. Determine (by asking) if your prospect will be ready to proceed if they think your solution will solve their challenge.
As you ask great questions and then use the techniques of a proficient archer, like Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games, and you Rewind, Reveal, Revalue and Rekindle , the Rekindle component is a trial close and is best done with a question. “How would you feel to finally be able to…?”
Use Simple Closing Questions:
Once you have Rekindled their desire to solve 3-5 issues, and gotten their agreement that your solution will do so – asking simple closed-ended questions will confirm the sale.
- “Do you see any reason we shouldn’t schedule delivery?”
- “Do you want it in blue or red?”
- “Is Monday or Thursday better for you?”
QUESTION: What is your favorite closing question?
Photo: Cheap Batman Toy by Mapko, used by permission
www.freeimages.com licensed royalty free
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