strategies that work e-Zine: April 2004

How Winners Close

By Dave Stein, author of How Winners Sell

The New Economy is forcing us to change the way we sell.  Buyers are much more savvy, tougher, willing to play you against your competition, and are reluctant to divulge information about how they are going about making a decision.  A lot of what we used to do just doesn't work anymore.

What doesn't work anymore? Asking an executive what keeps them up at night.  Selling what you have, not what they need. Not differentiating yourself and your offering based upon unique business value. Another thing that doesn't work is following the old "ABC of selling."  Always Be Closing.

Executives don't like to be hard-closed. They can see it coming a mile away.  And if your credo is "I close hard and I close often," with some executives your first close may be your last.

What are the best practices around closing? It's a bit more involved than that.  Since closing is a critical component of every sales process, there are dependencies, milestones and conditions that must be met for the close to be effectively executed.

Trouble Closing?

I often consult with companies that believe their problem is that they are having trouble closing deals.  After analyzing their situations, I often find that the problem really goes back to …

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