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3 Keys to Success - You Can’t Close Before You Open!

When I ask people what their greatest challenge in selling is, the most common response I receive is that they don’t know how to close.  In a way, that’s really encouraging news because one of the fundamental tenets at High Output Training is that 75% of the outcome of any selling opportunity is directly related to manner in which trust and rapport are established in the initial stages of a presentation.  In other words, what happens in the end is determined by the way you begin.  You may have a complex sale with a  long sales cycle or a simple product with a very short sales cycle but in either case you can’t close before you open.

There are three keys to making sure you get your meetings off to a good start so that you establish deep and lasting trust.  These keys will ensure you can properly close when the right time presents itself:

• Make a positve and lasting introduction to every meeting
• Ask good questions before you try to sell anything
• Confirm your understanding of the answers given by the other person

The number 1 rule in communication is that people prefer talking to listening.  That means that you prefer talking to listening and it means that your customers also prefer talking to listening.  Two people are trying to communicate and both want to do the talking; it’s a conflict.

Most salespeople go into meetings on the defensive trying to justify why they are there.  They begin the meetings talking incessantly: they’ve got the best product, or cheapest price, or the most incredible company with the most history etc., etc., etc., but none of this really means anything if you don’t know where the customer is coming from.  Customers need first and foremost to trust you and they can’t trust you if they sense that you don’t understand them.  Asking questions is the key to understanding it’s also the best way to get your prospect talking!

This past weekend I delivered a key note on the three keys to sales success in 2007.  I recorded that message and it’s available here for you.  It’s a 35 MB mp3 file that you can download to your iPod or MP3 player or you may simply visit the Podcast section of our site and play the audio from within its own player.  I hope you enjoy this presentation and find it useful.   

If you’re looking for a boost to get you going in the new year, you may also wish to check out our Full Day Workshop on January 27th titled “The Power In Selling”.  We’d love to have you there.

May God bless you abundantly and I wish you an amazing 2007 that exceeds your wildest dreams!