When I worked for Xerox in its heyday it was the gold standard for sales training – every new sales rep trained intensively for three months before receiving an assignment. A difficult aspect of selling to learn was the art of the close. We were taught that there was only one way to learn the right timing – by closing too often, too soon. One soon learns how to modulate the timing so that the close is natural and “feels right” to the buyer.
Adherence to that little bromide ensured that you could lock in on the earliest time a buyer was predisposed to buy. By leaving it too late one risked over-selling – losing the buyer’s interest. Closing too soon risked alienating the buyer.
Unfortunately, many door-to-door and phone-to-phone sales people appear to have studied under a different adage – close in the first minute and don’t stop, no matter what happens.
We have all encountered them. They have one lead-in line which is seldom effective, make no attempt to qualify interest, and treat the encounter with a potential buyer as a relentless struggle-to-the-death fight to pry loose money from the buyer’s bank or credit card, with no interest as to whether there is any receipt of value. They do not lead a buyer to a point of desiring to buy.
The reason? Unfortunately, many of these people are taught techniques by others (many of whom know better) that masquerade as effective selling. The buyer is the intended victim. The close is the weapon of choice.
My advice on closing:
- if an initially interested buyer starts to look bored, you’ve missed your closing opportunity. Close earlier next time.
- if a buyer looks surprised, irritated or put off in any respect, they are not ready to buy. Give them a reason, and close only when you do.
- if a buyer looks surprised, irritated or put off in any respect – and you are happy to live with that – find another career.
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