The Psychology and Physics of Closing a Sale

It’s not the prospect’s job to ask us to sell them our stuff.  Instead, it’s our job to help them to buy it. 

Every sales manager I’ve ever talked with has agreed on one thing: The single biggest challenge salespeople have is completing (AKA closing) the deal. There are two reasons closing is such a big problem. One is psychology. The other is physics.

Physics??

Yes, physics. Let me explain.

First, the psychology part.

When we’re selling (and especially when we’re closing), we have to deal with two big fears. The first is the fear of rejection, a natural fear for most of us. The key to subduing this fear is to remember:

1) The prospect wants and/or needs what we’re selling.
2) A sales rejection is not a personal rejection.
3) If the prospect says no, we’re no worse off than before.

The second fear is more pernicious. We’re afraid of being perceived as the stereotypical “salesperson” so commonly portrayed in popular culture: pushy, rude, slimy, obnoxious as in the classic movie, Glengary Glen Ross.

Because we (subconsciously) fear being perceived as this stereotype, all too often we don’t really try to complete the sale. But completing the sale is a critical part of the process, arguably the most critical part. You can do everything else right—prospecting, needs analysis, presentation, answering objections—but if you don’t close, there’s no sale.

Here’s the secret to overcoming this fear: 

Understand that customers need you to help them complete the sale. Why? Physics!

The prospect is sitting there (or possibly standing there) in a state of inertia. Remember the Law of Inertia? “A body at rest tends to stay at rest.” Which means the prospect’s natural inclination is to do nothing, even though they need and/or want whatever it is you’re selling.

However, the Law of Inertia continues: “unless acted upon by an outside force.” That’s us! We need to be the outside force that acts upon our prospects to change their state. It doesn’t need to be a BIG force, however. It can be the gentlest of nudges.

So don’t think of closing as pushing the prospect into doing something they don’t want to do. Instead, think of it as nudging the prospect just enough to move them out of their inertia and into action.

When you think of it in these terms, completing the sale is not at all pushy, rude, slimy or obnoxious. In fact, assuming this purchase really is in the best interest of the prospect, then not completing the sale is a disservice to them, because it’s preventing them from enjoying the benefits of your product or service.

Remember, it’s not the prospect’s job to ask us to sell them our stuff. (Left to their own devices, they rarely will, due to that pesky inertia.) Instead, it’s our job help them to buy it. And they need us to do it. After all, we’re only battling fear. They’re battling physics.

Good selling,

Peter C. Mclees, Sales Coach and Trainer
Smart Development
petercmclees@gmail.com
Mobile: 323-854-1713

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