1/22/2025-Closing business isn’t that hard

It would be so uncomplicated if asking for the business and closing were the same. They’re not. Closing means you’ve addressed objections and created desire throughout the sales cycle.

Yesterday featured a discussion about assertiveness and aggression… today, it’s about closing business.

The TOP 10% know that the proverbial "asking for the order" is a junior varsity move. (As if it were that simple.)

Moving to close means dealing with objections and obstacles at every stage of the cycle, and that requires asking direct, specific questions to learn the truth.

You won’t get to yes without obtaining incremental green lights.

In your brain, replace the word "closing" with "qualifying," and you’re on your way to better close rates.

Constant qualifying moves you through the cycle faster towards a "yes" …or "no." (And that’s fine; CRM opps start to stink like cheese in the sun when they stay open past their prime.)

Today (and every day hereafter), ask qualifying questions in your buyer meetings about…

1. Their opinion on how their needs align with your value prop.

2. Their objections and obstacles.

3. Their intent to buy.

It’s old-fashioned to think of closing as a specific skill…as a skill that can be singularly practiced and trained for.

So what, exactly, IS closing?

The definition of closing is this: the continual act of moving the prospect toward saying "yes" and taking action to consecrate the deal.

Timing is everything when it comes to closing. The second you get the RFP and log the opp into your CRM, the clock is ticking against your sales cycle. That means you must proactively ask qualifying questions about buyer interest and objections – i n e v e r y m e e t i n g y o u h a v e with a prospect!

The above formula is anchored by qualifying skills, yet speed is of the essence. It’s not good optics walking around with scores of open opps in your CRM that smell as tired as the half-burrito in your fridge from September.

As obnoxious as Ben Affleck’s character is in this R-rated clip from Boiler Room, he’s mostly right about closing! (Mostly.)

There’s something to be said for the sense of urgency created by working in an eat-what-you-kill organization, and as such, it might not be a bad idea for you to adopt a bit of that boiler room mentality.

But stick with the constantly qualifying recco.