Team Alpha 375

About Closing

By: Dan Jourdan

In the movie Glenglarry Glen Ross (a required study for most salespeople of my generation), there is a scene with Alec Baldwin berating his sales team that has the effect of tying your stomach in knots for days. His classic line of "A.B.C. - Always Be Closing" was seared into the minds of many of us, and created uncomfortable confrontations in almost every sales situation. I think that movie ended the careers of thousands of potentially successful salespeople before they even got off the ground because of the fear that they should "always be closing."

His methods of pounding people over the head are obviously outdated and never worked - but to "Always Be Closing" when implemented correctly is essential to successful sales. The reality is that your customers need to close themselves on the following steps before they will buy from you:

1. They like you.
2. They trust you.
3. They are convinced that you can do the job.
4. They have a desire to do business with you.
5. They have a need.
6. They have a want.

And just because the customer is not ready to buy, does not mean that the customer is not ready to be closed. They really may not need or want what you have to offer now, so your job is to work the other four elements of the sale. If they like you, trust you, believe in you, and desire to do business with you, then all you need to do is wait around for the need or want. If they are already sold on you (closed on you), then the next time they contact you, it will be because they are ready to buy!

Yesterday I got an email from a business owner I met two years ago. At that time, it was determined that he was not in a position yet to use our service. I gave him some pointers and told him that I would stay in contact from time to time when I had some information that could help him.

Over the past couple of years, he has been getting my ezine newsletters that are full of valuable information for his business to grow and thrive in all economic periods. He has also been receiving personalized updates via email greeting cards. During this time, I have been closing on like, trust, credibility, and the desire to work with a friend.

So when his email came in, it simply said: "Dan, I am ready to do some business. Call me on Monday."

Jeffrey Gitomer says that "most people are not willing to do the hard work to make sales easy". He is right. And it is hard work. But when you create an atmosphere that enables the call to action for the customer to buy from you - it's as easy as A.B.C