The Close Starts Before You Ask for the Sale

A lot of salespeople think closing happens at the end. You finish the presentation, handle the objections, and then it's time to close.

I don't see it that way.

The close starts the moment you walk through the door. It starts with the handshake, your first words, your energy and the way you carry yourself.

People form opinions quickly. They're reading your confidence, your presence, your appearance and, most importantly, whether they can trust you. It doesn't matter what you drive or how expensive your clothes are. Confidence comes through in how you handle yourself and how comfortable you are in the conversation.

Before they buy what you're selling, they're deciding whether they're comfortable buying from you.

Talk Less. Listen More.

One of the biggest mistakes in sales is believing that selling means talking.

The more you're talking, the more you're pitching. The less you're talking, the more you're listening. And the more you're listening, the more you're selling.

You know your product, but you don't know the person yet. What do they need? What are they worried about? What have they already tried? What would make them comfortable moving forward?

Every answer gives you another piece.

Closing Is Like Making a Cake

Stay with me.

You don't make a cake by throwing everything into a bowl at once and hoping it works. There's a process.

First, you read the instructions. In sales, you're reading the person. You figure out who you're dealing with and how they communicate.

Then you identify your ingredients. Their needs, problems, priorities, concerns and motivations. The key isn't having all the ingredients. It's using the right ingredient at the right time.

Next, you preheat the oven.

That's building trust. You're warming up the conversation and getting to know the customer before trying to sell them something.

They already know what the picture on the box looks like. Your job is to give them enough information to visualize what their finished result could look like.

Start Mixing

Now the ingredients start going into the bowl.

You ask questions and actually listen to the answers. What they're telling you determines what you ask next. You're not working your way through a script. You're building the sale from the information they're giving you.

Eventually, the mixture is ready and the oven is warm.

Now you get to show them what they need.

That's the presentation.

A pitch tells someone everything your product can do. A good presentation shows them how your product solves the things they just told you matter to them.

Objections Are Part of the Recipe

Then come the objections, and this is where salespeople often feel friction.

But an objection isn't necessarily rejection. Sometimes an objection is confirmation that they're seriously considering buying.

They're checking their boxes. They're making sure the decision makes sense. They're trying to become comfortable with what happens next.

The cake is in the oven.

Answer the objection, but don't panic and start pitching harder. Let the process work.

This is also where I like to get off script. Talk about something they love. Their family, their business, their dog, their car, something they mentioned earlier that you remembered because you were actually listening.

The presentation is over. Let the cake cook.

Don't Forget the Icing

Eventually, they see it. They understand it. They can picture themselves with it. They want it.

The sale is made, but the deal isn't closed yet.

You still have the paperwork, payment, signatures, scheduling or whatever final steps exist in your business.

That's the icing.

Don't suddenly rush because you think you've won. Don't keep selling something they've already decided to buy. Guide them through the final steps with the same confidence you had when you walked through the door.

Because closing isn't one magical moment at the end of a sales conversation.

The handshake was part of the close. The questions were part of the close. Listening was part of the close. Trust was part of the close. The objections were part of the close.

Closing is the result of everything you did correctly from the beginning.

Talk less. Listen more. Read the person. Use the right ingredients at the right time.

And when the cake is finally done, don't forget the icing.

Stanley Barsch
Founder, Motion Wins