Coffee's for Closers

30Gaining Commitment and Closing

‘Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible into the visible’.

—Tony Robbins

There is no point working hard, doing a wonderful opening, getting the fact‐find right, selling the benefits and not asking for the order. It would be like a footballer kicking the ball towards the goal and then being disappointed that the goalie didn't just walk out the way and let the ball in the net. No one is going to do it for you.

Customer says, ‘I won't proceed now because my budget is too tight’. This is a buying signal that you must deal with. Establish if this is genuine. The customer likes what you are offering, but budget is stopping him. Ensure that this is the only thing stopping him going ahead today, probe to find out how his budget works and then close him.

We all need to know when to close, as well as how to close; timing plays a very big part in your success. If you close before your customer has all the information he needs, you will fail to achieve your goals.

Please don't be frightened to fail; you can't win the lottery without buying a ticket.

About a year ago, I was training a tour operator and the sales team was responsible for taking inbound calls for people looking to book holidays. I was undertaking live telephone coaching and was sitting with a girl called Laura, who I can honestly say was one of the best sales professionals I had ever worked with. She was extremely organised and methodical; she could build rapport with all ...