Closing

The obvious start to an article like this would be to say that a seller always should be closing. C'mon...duh. Any non-seller and seller alike know this so let's instead call out an ultra simple, but inconsistent practice of asking for the business. One must ask for the business to even get to a close right? Most of the time yes, but time and again I see sellers never flat out ask for the business. They instead wait for the customer to say something like, 'bring me the paperwork,' or, 'let's do it.' Waiting is not proactive and to be a strong seller you have to take action.

When customers tell sellers they are ready to buy without the sellers even asking it's flattering. A deal is a deal after all. The problem is if sellers aren't asking for the business upfront they could be drastically lengthening the sales process or potentially overlooking customer objections that could haunt them later after the deal is inked. 

By asking for the business earlier sellers will uncover objections earlier and save everyone precious time. Who knows, maybe the customer has done their homework before ever meeting you and they're ready to go. If you put on a soft close early you'll know where you stand and where you have to start. 

When I interview candidates for sales positions if they aren't asking for the job they won't get it. I want people with the basic fundamentals down and asking for the business is one of them. So take a word from Alec Baldwin in Glengarry Glen Ross and earn that coffee because coffee is for closers and you'll close a heck of a lot more deals if you just ask for them. 

Stoked!