Why You Don't Close

(excerpts from "The Closer's Survival Guide")

#9 -  A Shortage of Closing Material

A lack of closing material will stop the close. It is one of the top ten reasons for not closing the deal. The close is where you hit pay dirt for the first time. While most sales people agree that the average customer has to be asked five times before they will finally close, the very same sales person only has four closes. That would be one close short of what would be needed on the average customer during a normal deal. When times get tough buyers get more resistant and that means you need even more closes.

The reasons the close does not take place are finite... not infinite as many think. The close itself falls into a handful of categories; time, money (price/payment/terms), product justification, stalls and third parties. The number one biggest reason for not closing is never asking, the next reason is that the sales person was unable to persist because he/she ran out of ammo!

Due to a lack of successful techniques and closing material, salespeople are unable to persist in the close. It is not because you aren't motivated, its because you don't know what to say. No matter how powerful the rocket it won't get anywhere without fuel. The fuel for the Closer is closes. You need hundreds of them drilled and rehearsed, loaded and ready to be fired off where appropriate!

I have personally met hundreds of thousands of salespeople and only a small percentage of them have even a handful of practiced, rehearsed and prepared closes. I know thousands of salespeople who, after leaving my seminars and being on my closing programs have as many as one-hundred completely rehearsed, drilled to perfection magical closes that they are able to use and depend on in real life selling situations. All of these individuals watched their confidence, their love of their job and their incomes soar!

Great sales people are rare and great closers are even more rare. While some of us have more natural gifts that would incline us to be sales people no one is born a great closer. This talent can only be learned and it is the kind of skill that can always be improved on. The single thing a closer needs is a wide variety of closes in order to stay in the deal and persist until he/she gets the yes!

How many of these do you know? • DELIVERY CLOSE • JUSTIFY CLOSE • CHECK CLOSE • LOCK CLOSE • SCALE FROM ONE TO TEN CLOSE • EVERYTHING THE SAME CLOSE • PAYMENT CLOSE • MONEY EQUAL CLOSE • PAYMENTS TO FIGURES CLOSE • COPY CLOSE • RATE CLOSE • LEAVE ME SOME PAPERWORK CLOSE • EQUIPMENT CLOSE • IMPORTANT PERSON CLOSE • TITLE/REGISTRATION CLOSE • THIRD PARTY CLOSE • PAPERWORK CLOSE • TREAT YOURSELF CLOSE • SPOUSE STALL CLOSE I • WORK HARD TO EARN THIS CLOSE • SPOUSE STALL CLOSE II • YOU DESERVE IT CLOSE • SPOUSE STALL CLOSE III • DISCOUNT CLOSE • SPOUSE STALL CLOSE IV • SUMMARY CLOSE • UNAVAILABLE PARTY CLOSE • NO EQUITY CLOSE • UNAVAILABLE PARTY CLOSE II • BEN FRANKLIN CLOSE • INSURANCE CLOSE • COMPARISON INVESTMENT CLOSE • SECOND PARTY ASSIST CLOSE • COMPARISON CLOSE • SECOND BASEMAN CLOSE I • SAME PRODUCT CLOSE (YOURS) • SECOND BASEMAN CLOSE II • SAME PRODUCT CLOSE (THEIRS) • IMMEDIATE DELIVERY CLOSE • NOW AND LATER CLOSE • AGREEMENT CLOSE I • FLUSH THE OBJECTION CLOSE • AGREEMENT CLOSE II • YOU KNEW THAT BEFORE CLOSE • AGREEMENT CLOSE III • GRATITUDE CLOSE • WON´T BE THE LAST TIME CLOSE • THE UNWIND CLOSE • BE GRATEFUL CLOSE • GOING TO WAIT CLOSE • CONGRATULATIONS CLOSE • WHEN VALUE EXCEEDS PRICE CLOSE • DO IT ANYWAY CLOSE • THREE AGREEMENTS AND CLOSE • DISEASE CLOSE • MINOR POINT CLOSE • DO IT FOR ME CLOSE • WHO TAUGHT YOU THAT CLOSE • INVENTORY CLOSE - MOVE DOWN • ABLE CLOSE • INVENTORY CLOSE - MODEL UP • INTELLIGENCE CLOSE • SELECTION ALTERNATIVE CLOSE • DO THE RIGHT THING CLOSE • PACKAGE ALTERNATIVE CLOSE • DO THE RIGHT THING CLOSE II • PAYMENT BREAKDOWN CLOSE • SCARCITY CLOSE • BUDGET CLOSE I • TAKE AWAY CLOSE • BUDGET CLOSE II • FIRST OR LAST CLOSE • BUDGET CLOSE III • SOONER OR LATER CLOSE • BUDGET CLOSE IV • GET IT DONE AND OVER CLOSE • BUDGET CLOSE V • NEVER THE BEST TIME CLOSE • ASSUME ZERO BALANCE CLOSE • WON´T ALLOW CLOSE • PAYOFF CLOSE • OWNERSHIP CLOSE • DELAY PAYMENT CLOSE • CONTRIBUTION CLOSE • NO COSIGNER CLOSE • PERSONAL FAVOR CLOSE • MOMENTUM CLOSE • BEG CLOSE • NEED TO PRAY ABOUT IT CLOSE • THE GAME CLOSE • THINK ABOUT IT CLOSE I • COMMISSION CLOSE • THINK ABOUT IT CLOSE II • LEAVE IT UP TO THE BANK CLOSE • THINK ABOUT IT CLOSE III • PUPPY DOG CLOSE • THINK ABOUT IT CLOSE IV • FEEL FELT FOUND CLOSE • THINK ABOUT IT CLOSE V • QUALITY CLOSE • RE-PRESENT CLOSE [RE-DEMO CLOSE?] • FUTURE DATE CLOSE • APOLOGY CLOSE • PRICE GUARANTEE CLOSE • REFUSE TO BELIEVE CLOSE • NOW OR NEVER CLOSE • CAN´T QUIT CLOSE • DONE EVERYTHING POSSIBLE CLOSE • THREE YES´S AND THEN CLOSE • GET MORE DONE CLOSE • REFERRAL CLOSE • HANDSHAKE CLOSE • DOWN TO THE PENNY CLOSE • ADDITIONAL SERVICE CLOSE • REDUCE TO RIDICULOUS CLOSE • PRESSURE CLOSE I • BETTER TO LIVE RICH CLOSE • PRESSURE CLOSE II • CAN´T TAKE IT WITH YOU CLOSE • PRESSURE CLOSE III • NO SHORTAGE OF MONEY CLOSE • RASH DECISION CLOSE • REASON TO BUY CLOSE • RASH DECISION CLOSE II • IF I COULD, WOULD YOU CLOSE • NOTHING TO DO WITH DECISION CLOSE • ELEVENTH INNING CLOSE • EITHER WAY CLOSE