6/14/2024-43 tips on closing business.

HA, made you look.

You know there’s no magic wand or 43 tips that will help you close business…riiiiight?

But if you follow this formula, you might see a difference in your close rate:

Closing = explain value + qualify + objection handle ➗ constantly.

More or less.

You can ask for the business all you want, but unless you apply the formula frequently and throughout the process, you might not be rewarded.

Create one qualifying and objection-surfacing question you’ll ask in your customer meetings.

You’re more likely to ask the questions if you first script them.

Since today’s scenario focuses on closing, create a qualifying question that focuses on that: e.g., "You’ve said ‘we’re looking good’….how good are we looking to get your business?"

As for surfacing objections, how about, "How big are the obstacles that may prevent us from doing a deal?"

Use those questions, or create your own versions in your voice.

So you’ve bought into the concept that the act of closing encompasses many skill applications needing activation during the sales cycle…good!

Because qualifying and objection-handling skills are foundational to closing, you need to sharpen those specific skills.

Since you’ve begun your journey by creating scripted qualifying and objection-handling questions, you may want to consider going deeper with the process: create a few more so you have variations to choose from. There is always more than one way to ask a question, and you’ll need to get comfortable with a version that rolls off your tongue.

Here’s a qualifying question to prompt further action: "Where are you with your analysis of my offering and potential alternatives?"

And here’s another objection surfacing question: "What do you think is the number one thing we must address to keep moving forward?"

Execution is everything, so after you write down the questions you’ll ask your customers in your notebook, you must hear your voice say the words to help make them real. Practice by saying them aloud.

Between creating the questions, writing them down in your notebook, and practicing them aloud, there’s no excuse for not asking them in your pitch meetings.

The worst that could happen is…well, actually, there is no downside. Ask them.

The "Always Be Closing" scene from Glen Gary Glen Ross, starring Alec Baldwin is timeless …and harsh, too. (Find it on YT if you need another dose.)

For a change of pace, check out a parody of the skit featuring none other than Alec Baldwin as he offers a variation on the "ABCs" of sales in this SNL clip.