successfully. As a result, they may become fearful and defensive, trying to apply the same selling formula that served them prior to entering the Closing Zone.
In the absence of the necessary decision-making skills that lead to win-win outcomes, salespeople often resort to self-serving tactics that may further compromise their credibility and will undoubtedly reflect upon their intent.
We believe there’s another way. Let’s look more closely at how to positively influence this decision-making process by adopting the mindset unique to top performers.
Our years of research in the field of sales improvement point to one particular mindset top salespeople have mastered as they enter the Closing Zone: They believe that their role is to influence good decisions toward mutually beneficial outcomes—ones that benefit both the client and the salesperson (and the sequencing is critical: clients first, then salespeople).
If your role is to move clients through the Closing Zone by helping them make good decisions, you’ll need to ensure that your intent is congruent with their best interest. Intent is something clients will assign to you, whether you want them to or not.
Your Role in the Closing Zone
Conventional
Wisdom
vs.
Top
Performers
Produce results.
Begin with the intent to help clients succeed.
Hit the number by overcoming objections.
Hit the number by influencing good decision making on the client’s behalf.
Help the client enough to meet your goals.
Be a consultant and trusted advisor to the client.
Your role
CLOSING THE SALE
To understand the power of intent, imagine you are a buyer. Think about some significant purchases you have made.
As a buyer, have you ever:
Been pressured to make a decision too quickly?
Felt like you were “being sold”?
Become confused and overwhelmed by features/capabilities that weren’t important to you?
Was the interaction all about you or all about them?
In contrast, think of a time when you consulted someone you trusted on a matter of importance—someone who had your best interest at heart.
How did that person approach the process?
How did it make you feel?
How did it impact your willingness to share vital information?
You may have just thought of a friend, family member, or trusted advisor. What is it that makes it easy to have good intent with friends and family, but challenging with business associates?
The irony is, the harder you try to “sell” people, the less willing they are to be “sold.” Most people can feel when they’re being manipulated or led to your conclusion, and they will often move aggressively in the opposite direction. When people feel their choice is being restricted, they
become highly motivated to push back. It’s an emotional response. When trust is compromised, the information flow from clients is severely curtailed, and you are far less able or likely to craft solutions that meet their needs.
If your intent is to help clients succeed, clients will be more likely to share their beliefs about what success is. And the better you understand your client, the better decisions your client will make.
Conversely, when clients perceive that your intent is to help them succeed, they are more likely to share their own beliefs about what success is. And the better you understand what a client wants and needs, the better the choices you can bring to the table. It is in your own best interest to focus on the interests of your client first.
Consider Your Own Experiences
Think about a solution you’ve sold using brute force. What happened? Was it wildly successful? Was the client truly happy? Or did it come back to bite you?
Think about situations where you were pushed to buy something you really didn’t need or want? How did you feel? Who did you blame?
Your role
The irony is, the harder you try to sell people, the less willing they are to be sold.
Ever taken a solution off the table because you knew it wasn’t the right fit for the client? Did you gain or lose credibility by doing so? How did the customer react?
Three Types of Decisions
When clients make “closing” decisions—whether incremental or final—they usually come down to one of three choices:
Choice 1: Go. Proceed as suggested.
Choice 2: Go with changes. Proceed, but with changes to the proposed plan.
Choice 3: No-Go. Decide not to proceed.
To be successful in the Closing Zone, it’s helpful to be familiar with all three types of decisions.
In the chapters that follow, we’ll talk more about the importance of each of these categories, and the factors that influence the decisions you’ll ask clients to make in your meetings.
Your role
CLOSING THE SALE
But first, let’s pause to consider the answer salespeople dread hearing, especially in the closing stages
