Introduction to Sales - Part 6: Always Be Closing

A friend of mine is starting a commission only sales job and he asked me to help him with getting started. So I thought I would share my insights to him and ask for any feedback from the people out there. This series of posts will focus on an introduction to selling and how to get started from a zero base with no previous experience.

In Retail, Telesales, Inside Sales, Car Sales or any sales with a short sales cycle the Always Be Closing (ABC) mantra is king. If you don't ask every prospect for the sale every time you risk losing a sale to the next salesperson they speak to.

In a Business Development or Account Management role sales cycles are longer. For many of my candidates in enterprise IT services sales, the sales cycles can last 6 months to a year. At that level it's no longer about closing but about moving the process along and keeping all stakeholders engaged.

But at that middle level, that's where the ABC mantra can get a bit ambiguous. The idea is that you always want to close on SOMETHING. And that something needs to make progress. Closing isn't just about getting them to agree to a deal and sign a contract but about all the little things that can get  you there. Sometimes you close on the idea of keeping you in mind, or accepting marketing collateral so that they remember you next time you call.

To make this process easier, I've created a small flow chart that shows you how to close every phone call:

Connecting on LinkedIn or E-mailing brochures or marketing information should be the last resort and the client will often accept and then completely forget. The idea is that next time you call they will remember who you are if they taken even the most cursory glance at the information.

Next time you call it can be to ask a question, see if they want a free promotion or product, drop off a Christmas gift, ask for their expertise or call to just touch base. They are more likely to remember you if your last interaction involved a concession from them.

This tactic also works on getting past the gatekeeper. First ask for their help, see if they can organise a conversation between you and the required party. If they won't put you through or give you their direct line, ask if you can send a proposal to them and if they could pass it on to the required party. If they say no to that, ask if they might know anyone they can refer you to.

In essence, you can consider it a 'close' if they have agreed to any proposal from you - no matter how minor. It's called the foot in the door technique. Next time you ask for a little more and use the previous situation to build rapport.

Read Part 5 (Getting Past the Gatekeeper)