The first step to becoming a top closer is figuring out how to recognize a top closer and everything the top closer uses to be the best. To help illustrate this point, consider parts of the human anatomy and how each part is vital in achieving champion status. The following sections cover each part in more detail.
A closer’s brain: Always alert
For your brain to best comprehend what your eyes and ears are capturing, you must have the ability to be focused in the present moment. Such focus involves developing your powers of concentration. To focus your concentration, leave everything unrelated to the present moment outside the door when you meet with your client.
To empower your brain, make these promises to yourself:
I will take courses on meditation to improve concentration.
I will keep up with my company’s product information.
I will read industry news.
A closer’s heart: Leading by example
A top closer needs to have leadership skills. To improve your leadership qualities, try the following:
Take in every new experience with the attitude of a student. Look for ways to apply these new experiences to leadership situations.
Seek out opportunities to lead so you can develop your skills. Become a volunteer both in your personal and business situations.
Watch other leaders carefully to understand how they communicate their wishes to their followers.
A closer’s eyes: Reading into every situation
Top professionals value their ability to learn more than any other skill, and one of the easiest and most effective ways to learn anything is to read. To improve your reading skills, make the following promises to yourself:
I will read something related to my career daily.
I will start (or maintain) my own personal development library.
I will commit to reading one book every ____ days. (You fill in the blank.)
A closer’s ears: Hearing clients out
Top closers listen intently, focusing on words as well as body language. When the client is done talking, top closers pause while they formulate their next questions and answers. This simple strategy goes a long way toward showing your prospects that you’re really listening to them. This careful listening makes your clients feel important, and that’s just how a top closer wants them to feel.
Here are some strategies for improving your listening skills:
Clear your mind of all other clients and any personal challenges when you’re with a particular client.
Develop the ability to keep quiet and let the client talk.
Master the use of the planned pause to keep the client’s attention.
A closer’s backbone: Shouldering the burden
Champion closers always look like they could bear the weight of the world on their shoulders and keep on ticking. To strengthen your shoulders for the job at hand:
Pay close attention to your posture.
Become a person of character.
Don’t be afraid to listen to and even take on your clients’ burdens.
A closer’s digestive system: Stomaching the tough times
As a salesperson, especially a top closer, you’re bound to encounter tough clients and even tougher situations. Top closers develop the stomach for these situations. They don’t like facing them any more than anyone else, but they don’t try to avoid the tough situations, either. No matter what the challenge, they know that the faster they get on the problem, the quicker it’ll be behind them. Follow these guidelines to improve how you stomach challenges:
Handle any client challenges immediately.
Improve detachment skills.
Defuse angry clients by doing the following:
Quickly acknowledge their anger.
Make it clear that you’re sincerely concerned.
Let them vent.
Stay calm and take good notes.
Ask questions.
Agree on a solution and a schedule for putting that solution in place.
Keep them informed.
Meet your schedule.
A closer’s legs: Having a leg to stand on
Top closers know their industry better than their peers, which makes them more believable when trying to persuade clients to own their particular product or service. They have the facts and figures to back up what they say, and they use the product they sell, which makes them able to offer their own personal testimony. To present yourself in your best light with regard to your product or service:
Know more about your product than anyone.
Use the product yourself.
Demonstrate a firm belief in the product’s value.
A closer’s feet: Miles to go before sleep
Champion closers do their best to put themselves on the same side of the table as the client. They’re also extremely empathetic and persistent when it comes to striving for that targeted closed sale. To gain mileage with your clients:
Do your best to see things from the client’s perspective.
Be persistent in communicating with your clients and providing them with the best service possible.
Wait for and analyze client feedback.
Under-promise and over-deliver.