Half the Battle is Won
Your rep has come to terms that the reality of the game, is approaching the plate multiple times
a day. They understand this, but are missing every swing. The good news is that they are stepping up to the plate. If your rep is getting people on the phone, quoting, and/or proposing business, this means most of what they need has been achieved. The focus must now subtly shift to what’s known as “the close.” Contrary to irresponsible belief, the close is not the point where you strong-arm a person into
doing business with you. It’s not the moment to ask a man, “Who wears the pants in the family?”
It’s much broader than that and should have already been taking place throughout the call.
What is the close? Really.
Upon analysis you realize the close is more of a happening, the lightning from which a cloud
may strike. It relies heavily on subtle social pressures and enthusiasm. Think of all the times you
made the decision to spend some money. You did so when you felt confident, excited, and
certain that you wanted to spend. The art of the close is about setting up the circumstances for
the customer to feel that way. It’s common for sales teams to discuss rebuttals, but it’s crucial to
note there is a difference between digging for objections in desperation and answering
questions from a position of authority. In both cases, you are providing rebuttals, but in one of
those circumstances the customer will never do business with you, because you come off as
desperate and like you are in a position of weakness. Who wants to be helped by someone they
perceive as weak?
Information Gathering
When you get down to brass tax the key is in information gathering. Knowledge is power! You
need to be taking notes throughout the call to figure out the prospects actual needs. You need
to scan for information that can be used in a logical contingency for the customer to get what
they want. Customers want to feel like they’ve won or made a decision for a good reason at
least. For example, you’re selling a car at a dealership to a lovely couple, you’re conversing with
them to figure out what it is they truly want or what they are looking for. Somewhere along the
conversation you notice a genuine moment where the couple indicates that they’d absolutely
love a car with advanced safety features and a deep red interior. When it comes time to show
off some cars, you would start with some nice ones and then make your way to a specifically
beautiful automobile that has advanced safety features, has a red interior, and just so happens
to be the very last one. By letting them know that this car, the one they really want which you
figured out by listening and gathering information, is the last one like it on the lot you have
escalated the pressure of their decision making in your favor without putting a dog in the fight.
More on Information Gathering
All you said is it’s the last one. This means it won’t be here if they come back and they will likely
decide to grab it. It also plays into the “meant to be” locus of control most people live by. If you
casually show them the car they want but there are plenty of them, the moment is just not as
special and the lack of pressure leaves your odds in purgatory. Once you have them in this high
pressure stop brought on by their own psychology, you can then give a gentle nudge, “You guys
look really good in this car, it’s exactly the one you wanted, and it’s in your budget, I think the
only thing left to do here is make it yours. What do you say?” People are what they say. Listen to what they say and then remind them of what they are and they will love you for it (and be more likely to buy your product or service).