Most sales people often think that closing a deal is a ‘one-time’ thing. When the client says ‘yes’ to the proposal, great. Once he says ‘no’, that’s it. Done. Goodbye.
 
If you’re one of these people, think again. If you want to be better in sales, I will let you in on a secret here – “closing is like courting.”
 
I have a friend, Iggy, who had proposed to six different girls all throughout college. Like some guys, he was the type which strongly believed in ‘destiny’. He was the “if it is willed, then it will be. If not, better luck next time”-type of guy. In short, he’s the ultimate ‘hopeless romantic’. He used to ask me for advice on how to get the girl he wanted. I am not a ‘love expert’ though, I am a sales person. Although this was the case, his stories, as I observed, were very similar as to how deals are closed successfully. So, here are some of the tips I had given him which you can also apply in sales, or better yet, in love as well:
 
1) Closing, like courting, is a long and continuous process.
“It does not stop at ‘no’.” Iggy found this idea hard to believe when I first told it to him. As a romantic like him, he thought it would be more painful for him to continue pursuing the girl after being rejected. He thought it was the end, no use hoping for whatsoever. Even when the girl asked to keep being friends, he stayed away from her thinking that it was the best for both of them. I nearly slapped him in the face. What could have been if they still kept in touch? If they stayed as friends, there could have been a higher chance of going more than that!
           
Now, what does this have to do with sales? Being rejected once does not mean that the deal has ended. It is just the start of a long process. To close the deal, you have to ask the buyer what went wrong, and improve on it. Simple as that. Perhaps he just wasn’t convinced by the time you popped the question. Remember, a buyer carefully analyzes all aspects of the deal before deciding. So, by knowing what was wrong and asking for his suggestions, you can change your strategy and ask again next time. Maybe he changes his answer, too.
 
2) Attitude matters.
Confidence is the key. After every rejection, Iggy was always devastated. Like any other hopeless romantic, he thought, thinking like a loser, that he would never be able to love again. He had thoughts such as, “I can never find a girl as good as her” or “I think I would not get over it.” Simply put, he was afraid to ask another girl again, fearing rejection.
 
Unlike Iggy, you as a salesperson needs to be confident to make the deal happen. There are two things which may hinder you from getting the sale; either you’re not confident with yourself, or your product. If you’re not confident with yourself, then maybe sales is not for you. If you’re not confident with your product, know what’s keeping you from being one. When you believe in your product, your customer will believe it also. In both courting and closing, confidence is “irresistible.”
 
3) Everything is a learning experience.
Going through Iggy’s lovelife, the one thing common to every courtship he had done is that he was very impatient and seemed desperate. The time difference between him meeting and “loving” (or so he says) a girl is too short that he skipped the getting-to-know stage and went straight to courting. Similar to a meal, he jumped straight to the main dish without eating the appetizer. I used to advise him often on that, but he always shrugged it off by saying, “that’s how love goes. I cannot do anything about it.” If he had waited for the right time to propose, wouldn’t he have scored one of those six girls?

In sales, or even life in general, what makes us better is not our successes, but our failures. For every lost deal, we should take this as an opportunity to develop our skills and to strengthen our will. Afterall, closing, like courting, is also part of life.

By: Jason Dizon

Indecisiveness, the Roadblock to Decision-Making.
“Indecision and delays are the parents of failure.” Such are the words of Mr. George Canning, an English Statesman back in the 1800’s. If you think about it, perhaps he was onto something. At least in my 22 years of existence, I’d like to think about it that way. Almost every failure in my life in my opinion was due to the fact that I waited too long to act and make a decision.
           
I lost my scholarship back in third year college because it took me too long to decide to study harder and take things more seriously. I did not get to apply for the exchange program I wanted to undergo because I kept delaying until the deadline breezed past before my very eyes. I couldn’t even confess my feelings for a girl because I was too shy and indecision overcame me.
           
If I were to write about all my notable failures because of indecisiveness, I could write a 10-page blog at the minimum. However, I’d like to focus on a necessary skill for business. Something that indecisive people find difficult confronting. That skill is none other than “Closing.”
 
Closing, a Hit or Miss
Closing according to Steli Efti is “the art of creating a decision.” A process that is supposed to lead to going for or against a particular decision. However, even before you get to closing on a particular deal, you’ve got to sell first. In selling, you’ve got to establish a connection with who you’re dealing with. There has to be a fit or an alignment between what your client wants and what you’ve got to offer. Only then can you go about closing and getting your client to make a decision on whether or not he/she will take your offer.

Some people may think that closing is something easy. Something as natural as breathing. However, closing may prove difficult especially for those who are weak at heart. Now why is that so? Simply put, it’s because of a particular misconception that a lot of salespeople have. Closing for some is a “one-time thing” in which they are given one chance to make or break. Thinking that they only have one chance, salespeople at times are hesitant to close because they are afraid of rejection. That moment of hesitation leads to indecision and by the time that they decide to go for the close, they are one step too late.
 
Closing is Scary?
By now, closing may seem like something to dread and avoid if you don’t want to feel dejected. I mean, who in their right mind would rejoice when someone rejects them? Am I right? However, like most things in life, it’s all a matter of perspective.

Steli Efti from The Startup Chat presents another way to look at closing. When a potential client says no straight to your face, you need to feel great because that rejection can be something to learn from. For Steli, a no means that there must be a crucial piece of information that you don’t have yet that can help a client make a better decision or make you realize that your product or service is not right for them. 
 
Confidence is the Key!
“If you are not confident and comfortable, you cannot decide to do something.” Steli makes a solid point here. If you don’t think you can do something, chances are, you will give up even before trying. Closing can also be thought of as the same. If you’re not confident in yourself, you won’t be able to strike a deal with your client since you’re probably going to keep on postponing on closing.
 
Final Notes on Closing
1.       Some people fail to close simply because they aren’t asking for it
Since a lot of people are afraid of rejection, they are hesitant to ask for the close from their client. There is no next step or a call to action on the part of the salesperson.  

2.       Some people try and wait for the perfect moment to close until it’s too late
Related to the first point, since salespeople are hesitant to ask for the close, they try to wait it out until the perfect opportunity arises. This way of thinking is wrong since opportunities don’t do anything by themselves. They’re meant to be taken!

​3.       “Learn to expect the yes and embrace the no”
Steli here makes an important piece of advice. In closing, you must be prepared to hear either a yes or a no. If it’s a yes, well then good for you. If it’s a no, then it’s also good for you. At least, it gives you an opportunity to learn and find out why someone said no. 

If I can leave you all with one thing to always remember, it’s this. “Don’t be afraid to close before you even try.” You will never know what your potential client is thinking if you don’t do anything to help them make a decision. Always remember, you can’t close if you’re not confident! 
​