As I have mentioned in my book, we all are selling something. Whether you are selling cars, books, workshops, financial services, real estate, or even yourself (see: applying for a job), we are at some point trying to sell something. My definition of sales is trying to get someone to do something, right now, that they could do later or don't want to do at all.
That all sounds pretty opaque, so let me give an example. Let's say that Mary needs a new car, but she's been putting off the purchase for various reasons. She shows up at your lot "just to see what prices are like these days". Mary honestly has no intention of purchasing a vehicle, but thinks she is doing research.
First off, Mary could be doing this on the internet, but Mary is old school. By showing up on the lot, we can assume that she is interested in a car, even though she says that "now isn't a good time." Sorry Mary, but you should know that you have walked into a den full of closers. They may not get the deal, but they are going to try.
And how does one close? By asking their prospect to take action. Like I said earlier, you want someone to do something now, not later. If they wait until later, you may not get the sale. No sale, no comp. Life's like that in sales.
Or you can position yourself as a sales "consultant"*. You don't want to be high pressure, so you just wait until the "time is right" and the prospect is in a buying mood. This is the equivalent of being in the friend zone when it comes to selling.
Closers don't wait for the right time or for the moon to be full or anything else. They close. Many times they will crash and burn, but successful closers get up and close again. Rejection for these people is like water on a duck. While others take it personally, good closers don't care about their own feelings. They want to keep trying.
There is a limit to all of this. First, for your own mental state, don't be the person who "thrives on rejection". The philosophy that getting someone to constantly turn you down signifies that you are in the game. It doesn't mean you are scoring points. Consider a football team that gets the ball in the red zone but can't score a touchdown. Sure they can move the ball, but they seem to choke when it counts most. And that doesn't help morale or team spirit in the least.
There's a famous book in which the sales crew celebrates getting a "no" because it mean the rep is getting closer to a "yes". The upside to this is that the rep is staying active. But the reality is that there are a lot of people declining the offer. Maybe this rep sucks at closing, and more to the point, will stop trying when he or she isn't making any money.
More importantly, your prospect is going to think you are too high pressure. If you refuse to take no for an answer you will eventually just piss your prospect off. Objections are part of the game and you need to live to play another day. An old sales manager of mine would say "hang in there for three (objections)". After that the prospect isn't just thinking of ways to get rid of you temporarily, but to avoid you permanently.
Successful sales professionals are good closers, but they also know when to take their foot off the gas and let the prospect return without being angry, upset or insulted. It's a delicate balance, but one that can decide who will last in the business and who won't.
*There's an old saying that consultants are like the guy in school who knows all the girls but can't get a date.
Chris Castanes is a professional speaker who helps sales people succeed through workshops and humorous presentations. He's also the author of "You're Going To Be Great At This!", a humorous look at sales. For booking information, click here. He's also the president of Surf Financial Brokers selling life and disability insurance in several states.
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