Closes are for shysters and charlatans

Wonderboy, "there's no magic" involved. If you present successfully and the order shakes-out at the end, congratulations!

However, it seems a little assumptive to believe that ALL of your prospects walk thru to an order. When that happens, how do you get the business? Or, do you walk away at that point?

The ability to present successfully is predicated on having closed throughout the process to that point. How do you arrange meetings without a closing question (... is Monday or Tuesday better for you)? In order to get all of the detail required to do a meaningful presentation which responds to the expressed needs, you must be closing throughout.

I wouldn't try to bring you over to the "dark-side" but I'd strongly suggest some 2-man calls with someone who is an adept closer might be an eye-opener for you.

In my Xerox days, there were a couple of guys on the floor who worked well with me. In one instance, we'd gone to Leesburg together for basic training (PSS1 at the time) and he was agressive ex-professional lacrosse player. We'd push each other to make that extra call and in those calls we'd really get everything on-the-table. This approach ALWAYS yielded results because one of us wouldn't take 'no'. It was truly "entertaining" at times!

We presented only when a proof source was required and presentation was the best approach. AND, when we did present, we ALWAYS prefaced the presentation with a close (eg. "... if we can meet those objectives during the presentation, do we have a basis for doing business ...").

Good luck & Good selling!
Pat

Quote:

Originally Posted by OUTSource Sales

Wonderboy, "there's no magic" involved. If you present successfully and the order shakes-out at the end, congratulations!

However, it seems a little assumptive to believe that ALL of your prospects walk thru to an order. When that happens, how do you get the business? Or, do you walk away at that point?

The ability to present successfully is predicated on having closed throughout the process to that point. How do you arrange meetings without a closing question (... is Monday or Tuesday better for you)? In order to get all of the detail required to do a meaningful presentation which responds to the expressed needs, you must be closing throughout.

I wouldn't try to bring you over to the "dark-side" but I'd strongly suggest some 2-man calls with someone who is an adept closer might be an eye-opener for you.

In my Xerox days, there were a couple of guys on the floor who worked well with me. In one instance, we'd gone to Leesburg together for basic training (PSS1 at the time) and he was agressive ex-professional lacrosse player. We'd push each other to make that extra call and in those calls we'd really get everything on-the-table. This approach ALWAYS yielded results because one of us wouldn't take 'no'. It was truly "entertaining" at times!

We presented only when a proof source was required and presentation was the best approach. AND, when we did present, we ALWAYS prefaced the presentation with a close (eg. "... if we can meet those objectives during the presentation, do we have a basis for doing business ...").

Good luck & Good selling!
Pat

Pat, I improved to the point where all of my sales do automatically close themselves out. All I had to do was to give the offer and my prospects bought. No special closing phrases required.

When I entered sales paradise, I learned to recognize who my prospects were which strengthened my sales tremendously. The system I developed is 100% reliable (the only way my system wouldn't work is through sabotage which is why I'm projecting over 90% success with a large population of trainees).

Please keep contributing Pat.

Wonderboy, no disrespect intended so please don't be offended by what I'm going to write. I've read your posts before and in my opinion, for what it's worth, I think you're way out of your league in many of these discussions.

My perception is that your responses have been empty and almost always point to some mystery system you've developed that is the champion of all systems. My perception is that your posts lack the depth indicative of someone who possesses such knowledge or system.

I bring this up because I think empty posts like that detract and can sidetrack good discussions.

No response required.

Wonderboy ...

So through magic methodology a prospect's natural reluctance - part of some people's human condition - suddenly disappears so they can buy from you without a closing question. WOW.

I want to go to your sales training school. I would pay you $100,000 for a weekend if you could teach that. In fact, the total elimination of buyer reluctance and buyer reticence by your breakthrough presentation skills would be the biggest news in salesmanship since Socrates had scribed the first information we know of about human influence!

How did you do it? What was the catalyst that allowed you, I assume without the resources of say XEROX, to uncover something that the smartest sales people and influence-rs in history, including Socrates and Plato, Earl Nightingale and Peter Burke, did not discover?

I am impressed (or will be if you can manage to explain it so we can understand you).

Outsource ...

Quote:

Clearly, he/she doesn't know what they're talking about - OR - the quote is intended to sensational-ize and thereby grab attention to the author.

Bang on again. As I stated in my first post, the sensationalizing is what I referred to as "Sleazy Tabloid Headline", a technique known well in direct marketing to grab attention.

Personally I think there is no OR in this case. In other words both things in what you stated are true. The author does not know sales and used sensationalizing.

TO ALL ...

Let's say Wonderboy really is a wonder, that what he says is true. Does that affect the validity of the quote? Isn't it still hogwash - even if wonderboy can close without dealing with the most common human traits - that does not make the rest of us that do close shysters, does it.

closing the sale is part of being a profecional
who ever think that closing the sale is bad practice is a green pea

Quote:

Originally Posted by vegamario

closing the sale is part of being a profecional
who ever think that closing the sale is bad practice is a green pea

Welcome to the discussion, vegemario.

Yours was the 41st post in this discussion/debate about the impact of closing in sales. Note that there hasn't been a single example of what a close would sound like.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joe Closer

Yours was the 41st post in this discussion/debate about the impact of closing in sales. Note that there hasn't been a single example of what a close would sound like.

Does that have meaning to you Joe?

Gee, when I read the topic of the thread I see a request for opinions, not a request for how to compose a closing questions.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gold Calling

Gee

Read it again.

The topic's title is "Closes are for shysters and chalatans."

I'll bet you think that statement is ludicrous.

I think it is, too, and I'll bet most people here think it's ludicrous. But as you can see, a discussion began with different points of view on the relative value of The Close in selling. A worthwhile topic.

It's common in discussions to give examples to demonstrate a point. It is uncommon here.

That was the reason for my observation. If a prospect asked for an example with regard to a statement I made, I would expect to be prepared to deliver one. In so doing so, I believe it would give more meaning to the sales interview/conversation. Likewise this discussion.

There is no need whatsoever to give examples to approve or disprove what's expressed by that quotation, which has been very well proved as false already.

Closes are for shysters and charlatans

Closing the Sale Forum