Want to Be a Better Closer? Show That You’re Interested
Think about the people you most enjoy talking to, that you are most comfortable with in a conversation, that you respond best to and open up most easily to, regardless of how well you know them. What is it that makes you want to talk to them? It is that they show a sincere interest in you.
Now think about how they express their interest in you. When you tell them something, they want to know more about it. They ask you questions about what you have told them.
They have no personal agenda, nor are they judgmental. Their questions are not manipulative or flattering or patronizing or phony. They just want to know more.
They not only want to know what you think, they also want to know why you think that way. Their only agenda is their sincere interest in you, and in what is on your mind. You trust them.
How do you feel about answering their questions? You want to answer them, because they show interest in your answers – they show an interest in you. They take you seriously. We all shoud be taken seriously. It lifts us up and energizes us.
One of the wonderful things about sales is that all the principles that apply to healthy human relationships apply equally well to selling. Now let’s take this idea a step farther.
Imagine that you have an important issue or major problem you’re trying to resolve. If you can find the right solution, it will change your life. Suppose you explain your challenge to them, and immediately they answer, “Here’s the solution: What you need to do is…”
Well, I guess that sounds pretty good. After all, you wanted their opinion and you got it.
But now suppose that instead of just giving you that quick answer off the cuff, they ask you more questions in order to dig deeper. They want to make sure they understand your problem. They want to know more of the specifics about the challenge you are facing.
They want to know what you think, and why. They want to know how far you’ve already gotten in your thought process. They want to know exactly what it is you’re hoping to achieve. Their questions are resolution-focused.
They are sharing in your purpose, making it a mutual purpose. They ask you to make some smaller decisions that will help you find your way to the larger one you are seeking – the one that will change your life. And these small decision pave the way to bigger, ultimate buying decision.
This is the way the closing process works, and the strongest closer uses this resolution-oriented approach easily, naturally, and effectively. They know their buyers, they care about their buyers and they close their buyers to help them improve their lives.
