Maximizing Closing Moments

According to master salesman Tom Hopkins, the fourteen most important words in the art of closing are these: “Whenever you ask a closing questions, shut up. The first person to speak loses.” These words present an impassioned bit of advice: Pause and get used to the discomfort you’ll feel at first when you do so. When the prospects are placed in this somewhat awkward position, they will often talk themselves into buying what attracted them in the first place.

INTERFERENCE CAN BE PERSONAL
The person making it personal may actually be your boss. If he or she is interfering with your sales-strategies, it’s one thing. But if they’re looking over your shoulder every moment of the day, it’s another. Consider this: Joyce Scott, a sales consultant in Round Rock, Texas, tells about a time when she was just about to close a $2 million deal. Suddenly, her cell phone rang. It was Joyce’s sales manager, checking up on her. Fortunately for her, the client intervened and advised the manager Scott was too busy to talk just then.

Colle Davis, CEO of Executive Coaching advises managers this way, “By nature, salespeople are warriors. If you try to control them, they’re going to beat it, fast.” If you’re a sales manager, consider the extent to which you micromanage your staff. If you have a manager who micromanages, are you enough of a warrior to fight against such behavior?

ASK YOURSELF
• What other single and simple things can be used to either help or harm the closing moments?
• Do I tend to give declarative or interrogative responses to questions? (Know how to use both.)
• Do I feel an urge to fill in the blank whenever there’s silence in the sales exchange?
• Do I typically have calculations done in advance of meeting with a prospect?

In “closing,” know that silence can work for you. So can diplomatically letting your sales manager know you are capable of handling a close without interference or interruption. Finally, keep the Boy Scout motto in mind–”Semper paratus” (“Always prepared”)–in order to maximize opening and closing moments.