Just because you can sell, doesn’t mean you can close. Matter of fact, selling is useless if you can’t close. The money is not made in the sell, it’s made in the close. Being a sales person is one thing, being a sales closer is another. Closers have a unique ability to see things to the end. When the objections start to rise, sales people flinch. Not closers, they stay in the sell until it’s closed.

Here’s one of the most common mistakes made in the sales industry

Business owner Bob is out to eat at a nice restaurant. Bob has a waiter named Kyle. Kyle is attentive, witty, funny and has a great personality. Bob says “You know Kyle, you’d do well in sales” and offers him a job. Wanting to get away from $2.12/hour, Kyle accepts the job. After a month or two Bob starts to scratch his head as to why Kyle can’t close.

This happens all the time. The thing is though, waiters, waitresses and service industry people don’t sell. They take orders. They simply ask you what YOU want, then go get it for you. When’s the last time you went t restaurant and ordered something, then got upsold to something completely different? Never that’s when. Order takers aren’t closers. 

Just because you have a good attitude, look nice and can talk a little doesn’t mean you can close sh!t. Closing is not about looks, talking or attitude, it’s about being fearless of rejections. Sales closers are not afraid to hear the word “no”. The guys and girls who can close deals do so with thick skin and an agenda to handle their business. 

There’s a big difference between sales people and sales closers

Anyone can work in sales. There are job openings every day in the sales industry. You can check glassdoor, craig’s list and any other listing site and see plenty of openings for people in sales. Matter of fact, every job listing asks for sales people. I’ve never seen a job post searching for sales closers. 

All it takes to work in sales is a good attitude and a willingness to work commission only. To be a closer takes lots of patience, practice and persistence. Closers stay in the sale until it’s done. In this world of ADD and unfinished projects, closers don;t move on until the job they are doing is done. A closer finishes what they started.

Salespeople tend to give up on the first or second objection. They worry that they prospect may not like them and may start to judge them for being aggressive. Closers know that what they sell is in the best interest of the prospect and they will stop at nothing to push the prospect to make a decision for their own good. 

Closers are not afraid to hear “no” and then keep pushing the prospect closer to “yes”. Closers can remove emotion from the equation and stay in the sell until it’s done. Their follow up is relentless, their work ethic unreal. Closers keep companies afloat and in the black. 

Salespeople are afraid to have hard conversations and will want to bond with the prospect more than close them. 

I’d rather be paid than liked. That’s the attitude of a closer. Salespeople don’t think that way. They’d rather be liked than paid. It’s one thing to provide good service, it’s another to get paid for providing good service.  If you’re gonna close sales, you’re gonna have to make prospects uncomfortable. Salespeople aren’t cut out for that. 

I’ve had jobs selling cars, houses and mortgages. In each of those jobs I’ve seen 10 times as many salespeople as closers. Each month on the leaderboard you can spot the closer. He’s the guy in the #1 spot. It’s equally as easy to spot salespeople, they are the ones talking to prospects, selling prospects but not closing sh!t.

Let me be straight with you. I’m not knocking salespeople. Our industry is based around them. They warm the prospects up for us closers to come in and lock them down. There’s a need for both types in our industry but only one of them makes the big bucks. 

If you’re a closer, next time someone asks you “what do you do for a living” instead of saying “I’m in sales” say “I’m a sales closer” it sets you apart from the rest. Simply having the confidence to present yourself in that way means you’re bold enough to hold the title. 

Salespeople can also convert into closers. With enough desire, experience and drive, a salesperson can morph into a closer. Most of us closers started out as salespeople. We worked our way into becoming the sales beasts you see before you. With each turn we took mental notes from our wins and losses. Eventually we armed ourselves with enough information to break through to the closer side of sales. 

Closing is a skill that’s necessary for salespeople to learn. The problem is most salespeople think they are closers but much like the Maury Povich show, results of their paycheck reveal they are not the closer.  I’d ask you to take a minute and reflect on your sales style and ask yourself “Am I a sales closer or sales person?” If you’re not sure, look at your paycheck.

If you’d like to convert from sales person to sales closer, I’ve got the help you need. Closers are committed to learning and improving. If you’re going to improve, you’re going to need help and experience. Every Closer out there took the time to consume information that made them better. Whether from books, mentors or even sales managers, they had help.

I’d like to offer you help too. Even if you are a closer, you can always improve. My sales training program www.showupandclose.com will turn even a sub par sales person into a sales closer with in 6 months. By repeatedly learning and memorizing my program, you’ll be able to say the word that come our effortlessly and effectively close those prospects like spring loaded screen doors.

Lastly, if you’d like to know more about my programs and products, in order to purchase the right one for you, simply fill out the form below and we will be in touch. All I ask is that you come ready to invest and not waste our time. We have a lot of people to help and we want to help those who are ready, first.