There were risks in publishing a book with the word “closing” in the title. The word “closing” comes with some baggage. The idea makes some people think of the high pressure, hard sell tactics of days gone by. It reminds some people of the poor salespeople who clumsily tried to close them when they were buying something, not recognizing that they were selling to a professional salesperson.
So far, everyone who has read and reviewed the book has found the book to be extraordinarily useful, except one reviewer on Amazon that set the book down and didn’t read it. But a few people have expressed their skepticism to me over email and through the contact page here, wanting to be reassured as to why they should buy the book.
Let me resolve any concerns you may have about The Lost Art of Closing: Winning the 10 Commitments That Drive Sales.
You believe it is a rehash list of closes like those in every other book with closing in the title. There are no closing techniques from old books on sales in this book. Not one. None of the commitments that are covered in this book have cute or funny names, like the doorknob close (whatever that is). None of them have the name of a dead Founding Father, nor are they tie downs or other forms of manipulation. Instead, there are 10 commitments that you must help your client make, and some ideas about why and how to have those conversations.
You believe that closing means that you have to somehow compromise your integrity. Nothing could be further from the truth. You should never have to use force, coercion, manipulation, or tactics like tie-downs to gain a commitment from your client. There is no reason to do anything that subtracts from trust. You will not find anything in this book that would require you to compromise your character or integrity. That would be at extreme odds with what I believe and what is in the book.
You are not sure it is consultative in its approach. This book is exactly that. It’s a guide to being consultative and helping your client make real change. The 10 commitments, like exploring change, collaborating on solutions, and building consensus are part of what makes one consultative. The approach is one in which you will actually become even more consultative.
It sounds a bit old school. I know. I agree. The word “closing” does sound old school. I liked “commitment-gaining” better, but we were afraid people wouldn’t know exactly what that meant. We also suspected that some sales managers and sales leaders who want deals to close would be attracted to the title, as some surely have been. This book is 100 percent new school, and you will find nothing in this book that matches any old school book on closing. It’s a book for the 21st Century, not the 20th.
You don’t how it will benefit you personally. You know how you wish your dream client would take the next step with you, moving forward in the process and deepening the relationship and your ability to serve them? You know how sometimes they refuse to do some of the things they need to do, causing both of you challenges in moving forward? You know how you sometimes wish you knew how to handle those conversations in a way that helped both of you deal with the tricky conversations? This book is exactly that.
If you pick up the book at Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble, email me your receipt so I can send you the workbook to help you make it immediately actionable.
