always be closing

Why do we say it is important to make a “good first impression”? Everyone can make snap judgments, especially when meeting someone new. In less than one-tenth of a second of seeing someone for the first time, our brain processes information about the person’s face—which leads to quick conclusions about a new acquaintance’s qualities, including trustworthiness, competency, friendliness, honesty & morality—according to a 2006 study published in Psychological Science. This tendency dates back to evolutionary times, when we would encounter strangers &, for survival purposes, need to assess whether they would inflict harm or be an ally, says Vivian Zayas, a professor of psychology at Cornell University.

That being said there are several certain ways to convey value & impress a significant memory onto the people that you are speaking with, whether it’s the next big sale, an interview or presentation.

#1 The Language of Assumption.

It is critical that you make an impact to due so can be quite beneficial to achieving your goals & objects. One of the simplest things that you can influence is your tenses, adjectives & pronoun usage. The primary purpose is to not create an artificial barrier between you & the person / company across from you. Be inclusive, it’s not “If I start” but “When I start” or “After implementation” but “During Implementation” use “We & Our” more than “I & me”. The subtle differences in your speech pattern will make a huge impact on the memory & reflection of the conversation. This generally takes shape as a positive or warm regard for decision making. This can be the difference of standing out in the crowd & building a deeper report as you will be “One of us” not “Who to pick from”.

#2 The only 3 things that matter.

“MADE” What have you made for your company, department, sale - etc. This is a critical value communicator if you don’t include this you risk sounding like you don’t know or are grasping at the topic.

“SAVED” What have you saved for company, department, sale - etc. This is just as important & shows that you have your eye on the global task or effort at hand. 

“ACHIEVED” What have you achieved for company, department, sale - etc. This demonstrates the final value of your effect on a process or goal over time. If you don’t include it, you are not finishing your thought.

These topics are all about demonstrating two primary things SCALE & SCOPE, of your background, business reach, product capabilities etc. IF you don’t include key metrics & numbers don’t bother as you are BS’ing the process more than you are backing it up with measurable & easy to understand facts!

#3 Fear of Loss is Greater Than Desire For Gain

Your dollar is more valuable than my dollar. Why? Because it’s your dollar. This is why in your next pitch should focus on what they’re missing out on rather than what your audience is going to gain by it.

FOMO creates emotional distress & feelings of being cast out. This is also known as “Fear of Missing Out”. We hate to be left out of anything, & your audience is no different. When they learn you only have two items left or there’s only one more day for the sale, it triggers the fight or flight reaction in their brains causing a trigger to fire & action to be taken.

This is also known as the scarcity principle which creates a FOMO effect in your sales strategy. It’s powerful & effective, however, you shouldn’t always resort to using FOMO in your selling online because your audience will start to view your business as threatening.

It is still important to let people know what they stand to gain from your product or service as well. There’s a good balance between these two strategies so use them both.

Are You Doing Any Of These?

While you might not be mindful if you are or not, I’m sure if you look deep into your strategy you may have done something which grabbed a sale or made your numbers go up one week. What was it? Look deeper into what you did & I guarantee there was a psychological aspect in which you missed you could apply again.

What are some of your biggest hurdles when selling? Let me know in the comments & let’s get it ironed out!