Always Be Closing

One of the guys in the office who thinks he knows everything about selling keeps saying 'ABC - always be closing'. It sounds very basic but I don't want to ask and give him the satisfaction. Is there more to 'always be closing' that I need to know about? - By Community Mailbox

When I started in sales (1986--I'm dating myself!), the training I received from Pitney Bowes was along the lines of ABC. It's a lot to explain in a small space, but it's thinking of every aspect of the sales call as an opportunity to close. That's an over simplification. A few years later, I took PSS (Persuasive Selling Skills) and after that consultative selling became the flavor of the month.

I think prospects have become too sophisticated for the ABC method.

The guy in your office may have been trained this way, or he may just be making the point to always be thinking about closing. You should ask him.

Hope this helps

Susan - By susana

To be honest....it can mean whatever it would mean TO YOU from YOUR life experiences. One thing I have seen as a common mistake of people...is taking other people's advice LITERALLY...BIG mistake.

I have found that life is better viewed in terms of principle....where you could translate anybody's personal experience and amount them to your own personal knowledge. You see....even though we all may speak English, we are still speaking different languages. For instance..... the term "SUCCESS" could be as much money to somebody, as it would be being a successful family man to the other.

The key point I am trying to make is that only YOU have the power to unlock YOUR own potential...what this person means by "ABC" may not be the route to success that would be for you. The key to "personal" is believing in yourself enough to have the experience necessary to formulate your own road to successful closing.
In my eyes.....take other peoples advice and practices as things to be made into your own, the only thing that matters....is what this term means to you.

Good Luck!!!
Hopefully my attempt at a different angle to this concern will help you in some way!!!

Sincerely,
David - By truesaxman

I don't think ABC would work well for my customers. They want a few days to look through the brochures. There are so many items to choose from. Most of them call me with their orders before I make my follow up calls. There are a few however, who know exactly what they want when I drop off the new brochure. - By ozzie

To my mind ABC simply means being prepared to ask for the sale at any point in the presentation.

As a tool guy I'm in something of a unique position. I have to sell to the same customers week after week, with a large product line, but a large number of competitors. The challenge is first, to find something new to sell to customers who have often been in the business for years and have seen nearly every tool on the market. Second, to avoid the tendency to "Order Take."

Being prepared to close and sell with out seeming to be selling is the best defense against the tendency to be an "order taker" I've yet found.

Pat - By toolguy_35

Closing at the beginning. Two weeks ago a gal messaged me asking for some info about one of my products.

I messaged her back asking what she was looking for and why.

She messaged back telling me the what and why.

I messaged her back repeating what she had said with: is that what you want?

She replied YES.

So I sent her a link to study, to let me know when she'd looked at it and if she had any questions, and let me know when we could talk. I told her to text me the time. She did.

When we talked I asked her some more questions - not assuming the sale as a mind game BUT having taken her at her word from the beginning I assumed she would keep it until proven otherwise.

She kept it.

MitchM - By MitchM