The history of sales theory has been fraught with gimmicks and trite sales axioms, usually designed by peddlers of sales theory. I’ve always felt the best sales methods are those designed to sincerely engage potential buyers with authenticity from the seller, and therefore, my sales training has always strived to “reveal” truths about the sales process rather than invent them.
The genesis of this philosophy occurred decades ago during an interview when the question was posed to me, “How do you close the sale?” In that instant I was both ready to blurt out the “correct” answer, “You gotta ask for the order!” Instead, I paused and pondered because I couldn’t remember ever just asking for an order.
After a moment, I provided an answer that, while likely would cost me the job opportunity, revealed what I believed to be the truth of sales. I said, “Closing is incremental.” My future boss looked at me with sincere curiosity and asked me to explain.
I told him that selling is really a series of little victories. The first appointment is a cause for celebration. Instead of barfing out a bunch of features and benefits, I told him it’s better to understand the buyer before making a presentation. The next meeting might be scheduled to introduce a new product. A follow-up after that might include an invitation to a branch. A later meeting would be scheduled to discuss product needs on an upcoming project, and then followed up with a scheduled meeting to deliver a proposal.
By the time the salesperson takes the first order, it is safe to say that a series of interactions leading up to the sale were all part of the closing process. Unlike the theoretical jargon that emphasizes the close as a tense transactional moment, the real close of the sale is a calm administrative process to launch a relationship that takes place after a series of small victories.
Since that day, I have considered many fallacies taught about sales and replaced them, at least in my mind and hopefully in my students’, with truths about the process.
Fallacy: It takes 10 “no’s” to get a “yes.” This silly idea strikes at the heart of the sales problem. Rather than convince a combative, disinterested buyer, it’s more common, and certainly easier, to locate a good prospect who is willing to talk from the start. After an initial positive meeting, the remaining process flows as noted above. A sale is a culmination of many yeses along the path to a relationship.
As a corollary to this concept, I also say that the answer is really not “no.” It’s “not now,” and good salespeople always leave the door open for future conversations even when
initially rejected.
Fallacy: Out of sight is out of mind. This is a fallacy that sales managers should heed. Too often and based on their own fears, they pressure salespeople to “reach back out and find out what’s going on” with prospects or “establish a regular cadence of check-ins.” The better practice is to recognize that prospects and customers are busy. Out of sight is not out of mind and pressure to constantly remind buyers that you want their business can become overbearing and prevent a sale. A calmer approach might be the ticket to success.
Fallacy: The only good question is an open-ended one. This is just plain silly, and yet veteran salespeople attending my classes have, for years, asserted that this is the right way to ask questions. I’ve often gained a lot of information from buyers through online research and by simply listening without asking a question. There is nothing wrong with a well-crafted open-ended question, and certainly salespeople should be capable of asking them. That being said, let’s agree that the answers matter more than the questions. I’ve asked a lot of “yes or no” questions while gaining a lot of respect and information by simply shutting up and allowing a buyer to talk freely.
Keep it real and strategically conversational. It is infinitely more impactful than trying to manipulate with gimmicks. Instead of inventing a process or relying on trite aphorisms, trust your soul, start to listen, and communicate with authenticity.
