"๐๐๐ช๐๐ฌ๐ฆ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ข๐ฆ๐๐ก๐" ๐๐ฆ ๐ช๐ฅ๐ข๐ก๐
As sales people, we have all heard the famous line uttered by Alec Baldwin in the wonderful movie Glengarry Glen Ross...
"A always, B be, C closing. Always be closing...ALWAYS BE CLOSING!"
And although entertaining, and perhaps true back in the 70's and 80's, this approach is not only a terrible philosophy, it will kill your sales.
Why?
Because it takes the focus away from the customer and puts it squarely on you, the selfish, commission-breathed salesperson.
You see, if you are focused solely on SELLING the prospect, you won't sell very much at all, because not only will the prospect feel it and sense it, you will also fulfill the expectation they had going into the sales conversation - that all salespeople suck and are in it for themselves.
So instead of ABC - always be closing, I use the same acronym, but with a different C.
ABC, for me, stands for
๐๐๐ช๐๐ฌ๐ฆ ๐๐ ๐พ๐๐๐พ๐๐๐๐
Instead of always focusing on "closing" the customer, getting them to say yes with silly objection-handling techniques and high-pressure tactics, your focus should be on "checking" in with the prospect throughout the sales call.
Not closing.
๐พ๐๐๐พ๐๐๐๐.
Asking open-ended, thoughtful questions throughout your conversation will make the customer not only feel heard, but will also feel like you are understanding what they want, or need, without coming across as salesy.
It will give them the feeling that you are "checking" in on them, on how they're doing during this sales interaction, rather than the feeling that you are simply selling (or closing) them.
Simple questions like these, sprinkled throughout, are game-changers:
"๐๐จ ๐ฅ๐๐ญ ๐ฆ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ ๐ก๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐๐จ๐ง๐, ๐ก๐จ๐ฐ ๐๐จ๐๐ฌ ๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ฒ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฌ๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐ ๐ฌ๐จ ๐๐๐ซ?"
"๐๐๐๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐ ๐๐จ๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ฎ๐, ๐ฐ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ช๐ฎ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ ๐๐จ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ก๐๐ฏ๐ ๐๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฉ๐จ๐ข๐ง๐ญ?"
(NOT - Do you have any questions?)
"๐๐๐ฌ๐๐ ๐จ๐ง ๐ฐ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ฌ๐ก๐จ๐ฐ๐๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ, ๐ฐ๐ก๐ข๐๐ก ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐๐ข๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ค๐๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ฌ๐ญ?"
"๐๐ซ๐๐๐ญ! ๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐๐ข๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ค๐ ๐๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ?" (NOT, Did you like that?)
You get the point...hopefully.
So stop CLOSING and start CHECKING instead.
Your prospects, and your bank account, will thank you.