I was listening to a CD the other day where they were talking about the fact “closing
the sale” was the number one interest of salespeople.

But my experience is that closing the sale  is overrated.

Why?

Because I believe most of the work in sales needs to happen in the front end. Not right at the end.

Also, I think it’s virtually impossible to close the sale if you’re not talking to someone with the right needs and the right mindset.

Here’s my view of what it takes to close more sales…

2. You need to build rapport and trust with that audience. Once people trust you they will  turn into leads. But not unqualified leads who have no idea who you are… leads who like you and trust you. There is a big difference.

3. You need to have someone screen people before they get through to you. I believe the top  reasons why sales are not closed is because you shouldn’t be speaking with that person in the first place. They don’t have the money, don’t have the need, are too skeptical, etc.

Of course, many business owners are scared of screening out clients. But the real key is to ensure you are getting so many leads coming through your pipeline that you can be stricter on this front and manage your time more effectively.

In summary, closing the sale all boils down to a few things…

Trust is more important than clever closing techniques.

If you have the trust and are speaking with a qualified person, the sale should take care  of itself.

Anyway, that’s all for now.

If I think of everyone I know, barely one person… even the rich and successful has had a smooth road without any bumps along the way.

Expect challenges.

And once you expect them and see them as normal, things become easier.

Sounds kind of counterintuitive doesn’t it?

I mean, I loved “The Secret” movie and other books which suggest if you can vividly  imagine something you can achieve it.

However I don’t believe in being a Pollyana.

And stuff will happen…

A client will say they are going ahead and then pull out at the last moment.

Someone will cut you off in traffic.

Despite your best efforts, you will get some smart ass trying to criticise your product or service.

A marketing campaign will flop like a dead fish.

Someone in your family will fall ill.

Sometimes stuff just happens.

And there’s two ways we can react. Getting angry and upset like the “giant toddler” I referred to yesterday.

Or by just saying to yourself “Get Over It” and dealing with it in real time.

And this is definitely the case when it comes to sales and marketing. Especially when you are just starting out.

You run a marketing campaign and it doesn’t work the way you planned.

Do you stamp your feet, throw a tantrum and get upset. Or do you just say “I am one step closer to getting from where I am to where I want to be.”

Remember, some of Thomas Edison’s quote…

“I have not failed. I have just found 10,000 ways that won’t work”

Results! I have gotten a lot of results. I know several thousand things that  won’t work.

We have only found 586 ways that won’t work and won’t have to be tried again.

Soon, we will find one that does.

I have not failed 700 times. I have not failed once. I have succeeded in proving  that those 700 ways will not work.

If I find 10,000 ways something won’t work, I haven’t failed. I am not discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded is another step forward.

Failed? — why we haven’t failed, we only know the thousands of ways that won’t work.

Actually, this guy has some awesome quotes. Here’s another one…

Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.

And an awesome little nugget for any marketer..,

I find out what the world needs. Then, I go ahead and invent it.

Anyway, I digress.

My point is you are going to fail. You are going to face tough times. Expect it.

No football coach expects his team to go through the season without injury. Or that he will win every game.

He has his game plan set to win but doesn’t get surprised when little challenges  pop up along the way.

It’s how you handle the challenges that counts.

Years ago I read a book called The Road Less Travelled by M. ScottPeck.

Or rather, I read a part of that book, perhaps not all of it.

Anyway, I can remember him discussing the importance of delayed gratification.

And the reason many people cannot grow is because we want instant pleasure and will not delay our gratification for long enough to get true growth and real results.

Let’s take a look at how this plays out in business.

If I had a dollar for everyone who I recommended to create a database and communicate with them on a regular basis, I would be quite a wealthy man.

How many have done it – my guess is less than 1%.

Why?

Because you don’t always get instant results.

You need to advertise a special report to get people to call.

You need to create newsletters and content to educate your potential clients.

You need to invest the time to build relationships.

Most business owners want the instant hit. So they’ll jump around from strategy to strategy… placing a slapped up ad in the paper… send out some flyers… whack a google adwords campaign up without doing the behind the scenes work to make sure they are doing it right.

Because education takes time to digest and it doesn’t happen instantly.

Databases take time to build and may pay off 1 month… 2 month.. 6 months down the track.

Who has time for that? Let’s just go for the kill now.

I was like a GIANT TODDLER who had to get everything now.

An old friend of mine used to ask questions like: How can I be a millionaire by this time next Friday.

And guess what? He’s still broke.

Why?

Because he wouldn’t delay his gratification and implement the growth he  needed to achieve real results.

Don’t be like that.

Do the groundwork to get the results.

Well, guess what?

That report has now been viewed by thousands and thousands of people… helped me  build a database with in excess of 6,500 people… and generate tens of thousands of dollars.

But it didn’t make me mone.y right away.

I sacrificed the mone.y I could have made now for bigger profits in the future.

Are you prepared to do the same?

If you answered yes, here’s a few places you can start…

Master the art of getting more traffic to your web site by clicking here

Get a swipe file of ads which can help you build your database in the first lesson of http://www.morecustomersmadeeasy.com

Learn the most important skill in business – how to write sales copy – by heading on over to http://www.copywritingthatsells.com.au/cashflow

Anyway, hope you enjoyed today’s little rant.