“The Lost Art of Closing” by Anthony Iannarino
It took me months to finally plow through this book. I ended up reading most of it in one sitting while taking a Vonlane to San Antonio, Texas.
There are a few things that I grabbed from this book and think are important to remember.
- Charge your worth. If your service or product is expensive, don’t feel tempted to give a discount.. instead, defend your price. Tell your potential clients why you are charging more than competitors. It solidifies your reputation if you do it right.
- Disclose your price first then move on to the rest (goes hand-in-hand with the topic above) as it will show how committed is the lead and if they have the budget.
- After the demonstration or client presentation, your potential client might finish by saying “This is good… we will get back to you in a couple of weeks” if you leave it at this, you are losing control of the deal. So do whatever you can to set a meeting to address questions and concerns: “Thank you so much. I feel very strongly that we are the right partner for you here, and I believe that no one else is going to produce the same results we will. As you look at other proposals, you may see different ideas that you like that may or may not work for you. Can we schedule a meeting to answer any questions and address anything else you need to know before you move forward?”
- Three words for an agent of change: transformation, modification, and modernization
- Always project confidence (doctor example)
- Remember: if your prospective clients could produce the results they want without making some of the commitments they need to make, they would not need you or what you are selling.
- Anthony gives a lot of examples of language you can use, even possible scenarios and how to navigate them… such as “Can you share your concerns with me so I can make sure this works for you?”
- Remember: Selling is not something you do to someone. It is something you do for someone and with someone.
- Anthony provides good questions to test the “Commitments”.. pages 202-203
If you are a salesperson, some things might sound repetitive but they are a few golden nuggets. If you are new in sales, this book will be a great read.
Cheers, Gaby