The Either or Close?

Mitch is lightened up, Pat. I don't use those terms lightly but neither do I use them in personally unenlightened way. Neither do I have a sale's arsenal which I also find represensible - I'm not doing battle or waging war to win a sale.

BUT if that's all the beauty of to you it I'm no one to convince you otherwise, Pat. Like I posted in another post - I'm not a professional and choose to think of myself as a life long amateur in the oldest sense of the word - so there's no competition between us as to what's the This or That way to look at these things or do them.

I'm successful in what I do without having a pocket of perfected and internalized closes and arsenal of tools and what I teach and train is likewise what I do and it proves itself successful.

The best to you.

MitchM

MitchM, during sales conversations do you ever find yourself using the same or similar examples, stories, questions, etc.?

Mitch, maybe I'm missing something as I thought that this was a forum (this particular thread related to closing). My input wasn't intend to sway anyone to my camp and your response (actually both) were more than a little combative.

The point which you seem to have missed has to do with SRs becoming comfortable right through to the close. In my experience that happens when a broad set of tools are used consistently. To the extent that these tools can become conversational or second nature, the SR will be comfortable.

However, when only 2 or 3 closes are within their grasp, these will not always "fit" the situation at-hand.

Your approach may well work for you Mitch. Congratulations and continued success (seriously)!

In my experience (especially at Xerox), the approach portrayed in my post is proven to work.

Good luck & good selling!
Pat

I'm following the conversation to understand these things better. Obviously you believe SRs need closing promots and techniques and I don't - that's a good discussion point in itself.

BUT I'm not the professional many are here and I haven't been in any other situations other than what I do presently so my experience is limited.

Still, I stand by what I post.

MitchM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OUTSource Sales

The point which you seem to have missed has to do with SRs becoming comfortable right through to the close. In my experience that happens when a broad set of tools are used consistently. To the extent that these tools can become conversational or second nature, the SR will be comfortable.

I couldn't have said it better myself Pat.

In my opinion the confidence that comes from believing you can handle what comes your way because you possess a broad set of tools shouldn't be underestimated.

Nor be over estimated as being necessary or absolutely useful in being successful in sales. I can only speak for myself in that when I went from learning an arsenal of tools and putting them to use to trashing it up and speaking directly from the need/want/willing to buy or do position my business improved and so did those who do the same.

My conversation with prospective buyers has to do with understanding the details, answering and asking questions, and coming to a mutually agreed upon conclusion that usually is a sale. BUT that's understood from the start - not always 100% though.

My conversation isn't to slot in the right close at the right time nor to slip in the right over coming objection at the right time - I don't sell that way.

Having given up over coming objections and slotting in closes which seem to fit a certain situation my sales, my group sales, have all improved as has moral and confidence for those who work this way.

What I'm saying shouldn't underestimated because of learned notions and even experience - going from the subjective to the objective, from the known to the unknown, isn't easy to accomplish even for a moment.

BUT again, I'm an amateur and not a professional - the success I've had comes from that approach and feeling about what I do.

MitchM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MitchM

My conversation isn't to slot in the right close at the right time nor to slip in the right over coming objection at the right time - I don't sell that way.

I don't think anybody is saying that. Having different ways of asking a question or responding to a question in your repertoire is good salesmanship.

Maybe we're not talking about the same thing then, BossMan. I don't look at intelligent questions and conversation as a bag of closes - as a pocket full of over coming objections and 30 - 40 closing techniqies.

But again, I don't attempt to get a sale - what I do is meet with people who say they want or want to know more about what I'm offering them. It's not exactly what Jacques Werth calles high probabliity selling - I've never taken the course but I have read the book four times.

It is though close to that in that I'm not listening to over come objections, to get to the heart of the matter, or anything. I'm listening to understand and in that meeting of the minds come together BUT I begin from the agreement that what I offer is what someone wants or wants to look at.

When we leased a car recently the salesman did all the closing stuff - at least he began to do it until I stopped him and told him to just listen to me and not "add value" or convince or spice up the deal. In other words I knew what I wanted and told him to turn off his salesmanship jargon and tactics and do what I wanted or I'd look someplace else.

Since he knew I wanted this particular auto he shut up, became a nice guy and not a closer acting like my friend or educator and we made a deal.

After the closing I told him if he were smart he'd send me a call or give me a call in a couple of weeks or months to see how I'm doing. I told him that was smart because I respect that and because of that would come back to him.

Having told him what matters to me to keep a customer I left thinking he might do what I told him to do. He hasn't. I won't go back to him.

That story has maybe little to do with this topic but it reveals something. Like I've said, I'm not a professional, I'm an amateur in the old sense of the word and will stay that way. In my business which is direct sales/network marketing I'm successful and plan to be more successful and my success began when I began thinking and working differently.

The best to all.

MitchM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BossMan

In my opinion the confidence that comes from believing you can handle what comes your way because you possess a broad set of tools shouldn't be underestimated.

You have to start somewhere. You have to know what to ask and how to respond. You could wing it and make things up as you go along but figuring out what to ask and what to say ahead of time is the best approach.

Cliches don't do much but it's true that there's got to be thought before as well as listening without an agenda to hear clearly to respond for clarification without scripted agendas. Winging is is as much a misnomer as is being scripted because of thought out questions ahead of time.

The best of the best become a combination of knowledge and well thought out questions - call them questions of clarification or conditions of satisfaction - and being in the moment to respond directly without previously templated replies or questions.

I taught journalism for ten years and one of the things I taught was how to become as objective as subjective people can - something not done much in the news media when opinions and slants are presented as facts or one sided facts. AND I taught curiosity as a principle.

BUT I also taught interviewing and how the most productive interviews come from following the answers NOT from following a script - the best of sales is also like that.

Confidence also comes from sorting out people from the start so that you only talk with people - that is open a condition of satisfaction inquiry conversation - when you get a commitment.

I'm not perfect in that yet but I continue to improve. JNust winging it isn't a good idea.

MitchM

The Either or Close?

Closing the Sale Forum