Every year, at about this time, salespeople and their companies begin the process of offering discounts to their prospective clients as a way to compel them to sign a contract before the end of the year. Those behind on their goal offer to lower…

Every week I receive an InMail or a connection request on LinkedIn from a person who describes them as a "high ticket closer," an inaccurate description of both the individual and their skill set. Also not something a salesperson should ever…

I tried to convince my publisher to name my second book, The Art of Commitment-Gaining. They called it The Lost Art of Closing. Some people equate the word “closing” with a self-oriented, pushy, high-pressure form of selling that is now so…

It is always a no until it’s a yes.

When your success requires that you ask people for commitments, you can expect to hear no as many—or more times than you hear yes. It is the nature of the endeavor we call selling, and no one, no matter how…

There are ways to speed up your sales process; many—if not most—are unhealthy. You can rush through the process, not giving the conversations your client needs the appropriate time and attention. You can speed past some of the necessary…

One of the most important trends in B2B sales today is the customer’s strong desire for consensus before moving forward with an initiative. Another trend, one that closely follows consensus, is an increase in the number of stakeholders who believe…

I am unaware of any sales organization or salesperson who believes they can execute a “one-call close” in a complex sale, though I do believe there must be a few. I don’t believe that I have ever witnessed a salesperson try to close a complex…

In The Lost Art of Closing, I wrote about the ten commitments you need in a typical B2B sale. In that book, I identified two rules to acquire these commitments, the first of which is that you must trade enough value to create an imbalance in your…

You’ve had a first meeting with your dream client. Now you believe that you need to follow up. This means that one or more of these things is true:

One: You didn’t not gain a commitment at the close of the meeting.

It is your responsibility in…

It was one year ago today that I published my second book, The Lost Art of Closing: Winning the 10 Commitments That Drive Sales.

A lot of people don’t know that authors do not get to name their books. Because the publisher purchases the book…