For this September (remember back to school time of new hope and fresh starts) let's all focus on being closers.

A slower economy means more buying delays. In this environment it is especially important to be disciplined in how you manage each sales call. One of the most important things you can do to close is to make sure at the end of a call, you maintain momentum by setting the next action step in place or asking for the business. Too often salespeople close calls with a comfortable close such as, "I'll write up..." "I'll send you..." "I'll call you..."
They are often uncomfortable closing more definitively and therefore they end a call without being poised with the next step in place. I have found there are three key reasons why salespeople avoid closing effectively, i.e. asking for the business or nailing down the specific next action step:

? One of the reasons that salespeople are hesitant to close is that they are concerned about facing rejection or closing down communications. The reason they worry about this is because they don't have the feedback or signals from the client to indicate if it is "safe" to close. They lack the data because they haven't asked for it throughout the call.
The skill of checking is the process of asking for feedback throughout the call, for example, after you have positioned your message, responded to an objection, answered a question, etc. Examples of checking are, "How does that sound?" "How would that work?" "What do you think about...?" By asking for feedback on what you have said, you gain critical information and you increase your confidence to ask for the business or the next step. If you don't check for feedback throughout the meeting, asking at the end of the call becomes an all or nothing situation with everything at stake ? hence many salespeople are reluctant to ask.

? Another reason salespeople don't close is because salespeople don't want to be inappropriate. The problem is that they only see closing as asking for the business, and they worry about being too pushy and, of course, getting rejected. Instead, if you set a reasonable and appropriate measurable action step objective before each call and get feedback throughout the call, you will know where they stand. For example, get to the next level decision maker or ask for a commitment.


? The third reason is that many salespeople don't have a process to help them close. You can close more by treating the closing process with phases:

o Beginning stage of the process ? set specific measurable objective before each call to have a clear picture of the action step that you want.

o Middle stage ? benefit from the power of checking throughout the call to get feedback to gauge where you are.

o Latter stage ? ask confidently for next action step or ask for the business.
o Final step ? be religious in follow-up.

To be confident to close, follow the adage, "One step at a time!" Get feedback throughout the call and even if you are not at the point of asking for the business, never stop taking small steps.

End each call on an action step so that you move to your close more quickly. But make sure that next step is very specific and moves the process forward. If you walk out with a clear action step you are moving forward. If you walk out without a clear action step, you are likely going backward. The difference between, "I'll follow up with you next week" and a specific actionable close like, "So we can (client benefit), how do you feel about our meeting with your head of IT?" or "Can we have the go-ahead to begin?" is the difference between closing business and marking time.

When it is time to ask for the business, based on the feedback you have gotten as you have checked throughout the call, use your benefits and confidently ask, i.e. "Will you give us the go-ahead?"

If you are not comfortable closing, practice by asking for small next steps at the end of each call. Create the habit of relentlessly moving forward. Practice looking in the mirror and asking for the business. Practice is the key to getting comfortable and becoming a "closer."