Conquering the Fear of Closing

Feelings of fear, uncertainty and doubt don’t just happen with buyers at the end of a sales process. It happens with sales execs and relationship managers too. Even those with much experience.

It’s natural for buyers to worry right up until the end on whether they’re making the right decision. What happens if it doesn’t work? What if they can’t support us? Can my company handle the change? What will happen to me if something goes wrong

But it doesn’t seem logical on the selling side. If you don’t close you don’t achieve quota, you don’t earn commissions or bonuses, and ultimately, you don’t keep your job.

So, we struggle through it. We love helping, but hate closing.

Is there a way to get over it? There is and here’s how:

Step 1: Diagnose where the closing reluctance is coming from

(1.) Does the word “closing” have a negative connotation to you? Do you feel that you’re doing something to someone and not for someone?

(2.) Do you feel it’s pushy or manipulative and not what a trusted advisor would do?

(3.) Do you feel that it’s too early to close? That there’s much more work to be done before asking?

(4.) Are you worried they’ll say no?

(5.) Do you feel the value just isn’t there, that you’re overpriced?

Step 2: Reset or reframe your mind

(1.) I don’t like the word closing either. Call it deciding instead. Just like they decided to take each step in their analysis so far. Honorable selling has always been about helping. You’re helping them solve problems with your recommended solution. You’re not doing it to them. You’re doing it for You’re there to help them get what they want. Closing is a victory for both you & them. All you’re doing is asking the prospect to take the actions needed to gain the benefits he or she seeks.

(2.) Lots of closing techniques taught are pushy and manipulative. They feel slimy. And, high-pressure tactics are bad strategy. Pushing gets pushback. If they’re not able or willing, pressure won’t help. So, avoid them. However, being a trusted advisor means helping your client make a smart decision. If your solution is a smart decision, then not asking isn’t helping them

(3.) If you didn’t feel nervous asking for the business before you’d earned it, it would mean you have no conscience. But, if you’ve proven your case, if you’ve reduced the decision risk for them, then it’s not too early. Waiting can increase the uncertainty and doubt. And, make the problem get bigger. Don’t do that to them. Help them get the benefits your solution provides sooner and not later.

(4.) If you’ve done your job well, the chances of them saying no are much lower than them saying yes. And, even if they say no, it may be a conditional no. “Fix this issue and then I’ll say yes.” If they say no, be confident in your ability to find out why. And, in the rare chance it does turns out to be a condition that prevents them from buying, something you have no control over and can’t fix, accept it & move on.

(5.) Feeling you’re overpriced, that the value of your offering is not there, may be the toughest reason of all to deal with. The problem is probably not closing reluctance, but rather organizational fit. If you’re a frugal buyer but you sell a luxury product, that creates a lot of dissonance. That’s a mismatch. The happiest salespeople have a match between the kinds of products they buy and the ones they sell.

Step 3: Say what’s most comfortable for you

(1.) Summarize & offer the next step – “We’ve taken these steps so far. Here’s the next one…” “Let’s review what we’ve agreed upon…” “Let’s summarize…” “Let’s go over what we talked about so far…”

(2.) If/then – “If you’d like to move forward with us, here’s the next step…” “In order to deliver by this date (or install or complete the conversion) we need to get started. Can we? All we need for you to do is (sign, authorize, give us a PO, etc.).”

(3.) Ask them for the next step – “We could have this delivered & operational by (name a date). What would you like me to do?” “We’ve done this so far…what’s the next best step?” “How shall we proceed from here?” or “Where do we go from here?”

(4.) Are you ready – “Do you have further questions or are we ready to proceed?” “How does that sound? Should we go forward?” “We seem to be in agreement that this will solve your problem, meet your needs. Can we take care of the paperwork now?” “Does this meet your needs? Will it solve the problem for you? Great. Should we take the next step?” “Is it time for us to talk about the details?” “Are you comfortable enough with everything I said so that we can move forward?” “Based on what I’m hearing, I’m assuming this is what you’d like to do?”

(5.) Makes sense to me – “The only thing I can think of to do at this point is pretty simple: decide when to get started. What do you think?” “We’ve given this a lot of thought. After looking everything over, this really makes sense to me. I think we ought to work together. What do you think?” “After looking over everything, I suggest we get started on this. We could get things rolling & be started by the first of the month. What do you think?”

Step 4: Practice so you’re even more comfortable – Like any skill you’ll be more confident, less apprehensive if you’ve thought about it and practiced saying the words ahead of time.

And that’s it. 4 steps to tackling closing reluctance. I hope you found this helpful. If so, feel free to share with friends & colleagues.

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