Show up. Follow up. Close.
Steli’s sales strategy is preposterously simple:
1. Show up.
2. Follow up.
3. Close.
Sales is simple. It’s people that are difficult.
Our doubts, fears, hesitations, anxieties, and insecurities are the real challenges stopping us from becoming unstoppable sales hustlers.
There’s rejection around every corner during every deal. We’re afraid to go for the close because it’s painful to hear the “No.”
We’re worried we might seem too forward if we ask for the sale. But what’s the point of sales conversations if not to arrive at an outcome: yes or no?
Too many sales conversations end with us allowing the lead to walk away without going for the close.
Does this sound familiar?
Customer: This all looks great. Thanks for the information.
Sales Rep: No problem!
Customer: Okay so… I’ll just talk this over with my team and I’ll get back to you.
Sales Rep: Sounds good! I’ll send you a follow-up email with some more information.
We let customers guide themselves off the call!
We pat ourselves on the back for having finished a polite conversation where we didn’t seem too pushy—and then the deal rots in pipeline purgatory.
When you go for the close—literally just asking them if they’re ready to buy—you can leave the conversation with a roadmap of what it’s going to take to close this deal.
If you lead your conversations with a bias toward action, customers will also be motivated to take action. The deal goes from being some vague possibility to something concrete. It now becomes something they need to act on: yes or no.
“What is it going to take to get this deal done?” That’s it. That’s going for the close.
You can put your own spin on it: “What’s it going to take for you to become a customer?” is another option.
Now, the thing that takes you from good to great in sales is going for the close early and often in the call, not just at the end of a conversation. Don’t let the term “close” fool you—you can open with the close too.
Ask for the sale at a time when you already know the answer is going to be a “No.”
Steli used to open sales calls by asking, “Are you ready to buy?”
Customers would be stunned and say, “No!”
To which Steli would reply:
“Of course you’re not ready to buy! There’s so much we need to figure out! Tell me: What do we need to do on this call to get you ready to buy? Walk me through all the steps…”
It’s like a hybrid icebreaker/ask for the sale. You can play off the question as a little joke, and all will be forgiven, but there’s a sneaky strategy hidden in there, too.
You’re anchoring your lead to the idea that by the end of the conversation, they’ll know whether or not they’re ready to buy.
Go for the close early and often. Ask for the sale, even when it’s uncomfortable.
No one ever said “Yes” to a question they were never asked.
⚡️Get Dialed-In
Start five sales calls with the closing icebreaker: “So, are you ready to buy yet?” Then work with your lead to map out what needs to happen for them to become a customer.
Extra credit: Watch this 4-minute video clip where Steli demonstrates how to go for the close.
