The secrets to an effortless close

I have met some BAD sales people in my life and they almost all have one thing in common. This single thing stops them from having a natural, effortless sales and experience and could be the one thing standing between you and future revenue.

Most struggling entrepreneurs hide behind this veil of sales darkness. Their sales pitches consistent of listing a set of features of their service and then they transition to a WEAK close where they are timid to ask for the sale.

As service business owners we are always going to be the king of the sales, and that doesn’t mean you don’t need to have a killer team. But when it comes time to slay the big fish, it’s going to be you as the business owner that gets called in for the close.

But the one thing that stands between most business owners and an effortless close is one very simple word;

Believability

Do you really believe your service can do what you say it can do?

Do you really believe it is worth what you say it is?

Do you really believe you can fulfill on the timeline you say you will?

So which is more important, figuring out a mechanism to make closing a breeze or staying stuck behind a stagnated business? 

There was a time I participated in my daughters dance recital at the father-daughter dance. I was going to be terrible and I knew it, but the difference was I showed up like I owned the place. I was completely believable that I was the ballet hero, there to put the icing on the top of the cake.

 In sales, I show up the exact same way because I can answer yes to ever one of the questions above;

And here are my steps to an effortless close

Step 1. Elicit the highest values from my prospect

Step 2. Determine the pains they are in without the solution &

Step 3. Identify the benefits of having the solution implemented

But you have heard all that before.....

The real secret to the close is I make them ASK (Step 4). Only after I have listened to all of their concerns and kicked the legs out from every objection (Step 5) will I answer the question. Then, when it is time, and because they have asked, with all faith, confidence and BELIEF that I can answer the questions above with an authentic yes will I make the offer to work with me (Step 6).

Because I already put the work in, the close is nothing more than a ratification of what we are ALREADY in agreement over. What’s your secret to an effortless close?

Why your brain keeps you from closing deals 

One of the greatest hurdles (if not the biggest) standing in the way of business owners is the ability to close deals. There is no condition in my mind where the CEO of a company isn’t responsible for driving revenue- sometimes the deals are just hundred million dollar deals instead of thousands or tens of thousands.

Have you ever noticed, or even felt yourself, the energy completely change in a sales conversation when it comes time to ask for the deal?

Not only do I sell every single day of my life, but I also get sold to every single day as well. One of the absolute most awkward portions of the sales call is when we get to the offer and the person on the other end of the phone fumbles.

It’s no different than a football game- 4th quarter, down by a field goal, 4th and inches. The quarterback takes the snap, and then boom, stress, anxiety, fear all creep in. The monumental gains of the last 99 yards are washed away as the quarterback stumbles and fumbles. 

Closing is no different- it is simply the “4th and inches” of the sales conversation. Frankly you have already done all the hard work, all that is left to do is to make the ask and close the sale- make the touchdown. But what happens all too for embattled entrepreneurs is we just aren’t ready and we end up projecting our own thoughts about sales into the sales process. 

If you are the type of person who doesn’t like being sold to, there is a high likelihood that you are also the type of person who doesn’t like selling. The good news is once we call attention to it we are able to take proactive steps to gain confidence and make the sales process a breeze.

While not a sales training podcast at all, Jim Fortin does a phenomenal job discussing how to stop fear and worry.

Give it a listen here- https://bit.ly/3guhByc

If you can become aware of where you are projecting your own negative emotions surrounding sales, learn to harness them, then use them in your favor- sales become effortless.

Why I LOVE being sold

Contrary to most popular sentiment, I absolutely love watching the process in action. The earliest transaction I can recall being actively sold was buying my first car. It was a Mitsubishi Eclipse, though I have no clue anymore what year it was. It was awesome- a smooth burgundy (you know, like carry red or a deep black, or clean white). 

But what I recall the most was the process. I loved the negotiation and I was keenly aware of what was happening. I enjoyed watching the salesman put it on me. Why?  Because I already knew the price I was going to pay, and I already knew I wanted the car. The transaction was very simple to me- if the magic number got to the right place, I would own the car.

I still love being sold, mostly because I love material things. For those of you who say it’s shallow, keep it coming. I love lavish vacations, nice homes and cool cars. I like indulging in food that I had never experience before and I certainly enjoy a good whiskey or glass of wine.

Sales for me is an art, whether on the giving end or the receiving end. While I wouldn’t pressure my children to follow in my footsteps, if and when they are ready to learn, I will be happy to teach them the ways of the Ninja!