What is “The Perfect Close” all about?
Personally, I see a huge difference between myself and what can be considered as a “Stereotypical Salesman”. I would hate to think of myself as an old-school car dealer, much less so the David Brent approach to selling cleaning products in the Christmas Specials of The Office! Sales techniques historically (think: Wolf of Wall Street etc) are based on manipulation, trickery, and getting deals done no matter what. That isn’t, and shouldn’t be, what sales is all about. The ultimate goal should be to simply make available to potential clients the information that they need to be able to see why they should do business with you. Or not – if it isn’t the right decision for them!
I saw James Muir speak at the BizX Forum and Awards last month and he was excellent. Having now listened to his book, “The Perfect Close”, I can’t recommend it highly enough for anyone working in sales. It isn’t about manipulating people, and in fact, it isn’t really about “Closing” – I would say it’s more about opening… conversations. Cheesy, I know – apologies. I would say though that in my selling, I’m not thinking about converting a sale to monetary value: I’m focusing on how I can help that client succeed in what they want to achieve, and helping them see that working with us is a good way to get there.
Is it worth reading?
“The Perfect Close” by James Muir is a guide for sales professionals on how to effectively close deals with potential clients. The book introduces a simple and powerful closing technique called the “Perfect Close,” which involves asking a series of questions that help prospects make a decision without feeling pressured or manipulated. Muir explains the psychology behind the technique and provides practical examples and scripts for using it in various sales situations. The book emphasizes the importance of building trust and rapport with clients throughout the sales process and offers tips for overcoming common objections and closing more deals.
Some personal highlights / tidbits* to take away:
- Up to 90% of sales situations end with no commitment to any kind of next step!
- There has to be the WILL (the motivation to ask for a commitment) and the SKILL (knowing how to ask).
- Sales situations can end in 3 ways: Commitment to buy, Advancement in some way, or simply Continuation (no progress, but equally the sale didn’t die).
- A good question is: “At the stage, clients typically do X… Would it make sense for us to do X?” – if they say no, then they are rejecting the timing, not the sale itself.
- A further question: “What do you think would be a good next step?” This puts the pace of the sale in the hands of the customer.
- By asking using the phrase, “Do it make sense to…” you relieve the pressure to commit to a sale, because you’re not yet asking them to do anything or commit to anything.
What’s the best part?
James’ phrase screamed out at me: “Selling is an act of service– because you are helping clients move closer towards their goals.”
The secret is to actually care about their success. The key to a good sale is actually generosity.
Get in touch with Andi for more recommendations!
*PS I had to Google this to find out how it’s actually spelt. The singular version is “titbit” but when it’s pluralised it becomes “tidbits”! Mad eh?
