9 "Success Tips" the Best Salespeople Ignore – #6

"Success Tip" #6: “This closing technique can close every deal.”

I can directly attribute this “success tip” to five years of slog, misery and failure at the beginning of my own sales career.

In my early 20's, I heard this success tip all the time. And I wanted to believe that it was true - sooo badly.

But eventually, slowly, I began to realise that this statement was nothing more than a way of manipulating me (via my own naivety) into blindly following the advice of snake oil sales trainers who were making money out of people (just like me), by pretending there was an “easier way” of doing things – that there was some kind of Jedi mind trick for salespeople - something that would help me skip over all that laborious sales stuff - and just get people to do as they were told - and buy my stuff.

Let's get something straight: In serious business to business sales, single line closing techniques (which are not preceded by great selling) DON'T WORK. You cannot hypnotise your prospect into buying something against their will. On top of that, some sales pitches are so dreadful that absolutely nothing can save them. And some “techniques” will never help you hit your target - even if the guru sharing them makes them *appear* to work perfectly in their online video.

And - even if you have a personality that makes your prospects “like” you so much that they’re hanging on your every word - that isn't a strategy for long term success (as I discussed in #5) - you have to work out the real reason you're there.

When you have uncovered the thing they need, you explain how you are going to do THAT thing and gain their commitment! That's closing with STRENGTH.

Here's the REAL issue:

Are you closing with STRENGTH, or are you closing with WEAKNESS?

If you’re looking for a quick close because you're just lazy or not willing to understand your profession, then you'll always end up closing with weakness. Too bad for you.

If you decide to close because you've worked out and shown how you can help, then you'll end up closing with strength. And you should do that as quickly and effectively as you can, so that you can go and find someone else to HELP as soon as possible.

So here's the REAL truth:

The best salespeople never close in a state of weakness, and unsuccessful salespeople never learn how to go deep enough to close with strength.

Just like everything else I've been talking about in this series, understanding the buying motives of your target market will enable you to ditch all the clever tricks and faux friendships and get down to the heart of real selling.

Back to my early sales career: I eventually bought a book by a well-known sales authority and started using his advice to grow my pipeline. Actually, that approach DID work.

BUT - I also realised that I was still trying to “sell at” rather than helping people “buy from”. Simply put, I hadn’t stopped searching for a way I could use to trick someone into buying something off me, rather than simply understanding why they might actually need what I was selling – and then helping them to see that reasoning too.

When I was trying to build my pipeline through “clever” closing, my bank balance was always empty - but my days were always full.

Full of soulless conversations with prospects, followed by scary exchanges with my boss.

I just thought it was something I was going to get the hang of and get better at - EVENTUALLY.

But... once I started to engage in conversations that led me to understand genuine *buying motives*, instead, it started to become obvious which direction each conversation needed to take.

I started to close sales properly. Out of strength.

After that, my numbers started to sort themselves out, and - probably for the first time in my career - I actually started to enjoy what I did for living.

Next time I'll have a go at "Success Tip" #7:

'There are a precise number of touch points you need to make before you engage with a prospect.'

All the best

Chris

PS:?We’ve just released the next UK dates for my?2 Day Business Development Masterclasses in cities across the UK. If you want to get a head start on everybody else in your industry, I hope you’ll consider it.

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