Why focusing on the close is more wrong than ever in sales

A guest on The Sales Podcast said this last week, and I felt it in my bones.

Never have I ever focused on the close.

But most sales goo-roos have pounded that drum and beaten that horse into an oozing pile of goo for generations…

"THE SALE BEGINS WHEN THE PROSPECT SAYS NO!"

"YOU HAVE TO GET FIVE 'NOs' TO GET TO ONE 'YES!"

"YOU SHOULD SPEND 80% OF YOUR TIME AND ENERGY ON THE CLOSE, BECAUSE THAT'S WHERE THE MONEY IS MADE!"

Never have I ever done this.
It feels icky and cheesy and wrong.

Professional salespeople and entrepreneurs sort, sift, and separate.

Closing hard is for commission-breath internet bros and divine manifestation cosmic orgasmic heart-centered sound bowl chakra goddesses who have been to 12 too many therapy sessions and need a sale to make their Mercedes payment.

When you choose who to lose, you repel the wrong people and attract the right people naturally and easily.

This is the beginning of the sorting, sifting, and separating.

Tied to this is what I call "close first, then present."

"But Wes, you said only fools rush in and close hard."

I did.

Because that is what fools do.

When you close hard AT THE END, you are acting like everyone else, so your prospect treats you like everyone else, which is why they ask you to give them a better price.

When you are indistinguishable from everyone else, they can only differentiate you on your price, which sucks.

So, when I say, "Close first, then present," I mean dig in and determine your prospect's true purpose and goal and incentives and drivers and fears and doubts and ideal outcome and obstacles before you get into your presentation or demo or discussion or proposal creation or negotiation.

What does this look like in practice?

Let's say you sell SaaS—Software as a Service—and a prospect says, "Do you offer a free trial?"

Your competitors say,

But you respond, "We do...if there's a fit for your company. What are you hoping our software can do for you?"

They respond, "Look. I don't want to get into this with you. We're looking at you and two of your competitors, and they both have offered us a 60-day trial."

"Ahh. Those are both good companies. Have you started your trials?"

"Look. Like I said: I don't want to get into this with you. Can you match what they are offering or not?"

Sidebar: does this sound like a great lead? Maybe they are, but do they sound like a decision-maker? Maybe they are, but do they sound like a calm, rational decision-maker or someone stressed to high heaven?

If you just jump when they bark, you'll be chasing this lead down for months only to die tired.

You must push back, i.e., you must close first, then present.

"Mr. Prospect, correct me if I'm wrong, but you seem to be under some pressure to get these free trials under way. Is that correct?"

"You could say that."

"I hear you. We all are. May I make a recommendation that will make your life a lot easier, at least insofar as this trial goes?"

"Sure."

"Nothing is free in this world, including free trials.

“Sure, I can create a login for you and everyone on your team, but who will own this project and who will really spend a focused, motivated quarter or month or week or even a concentrated day on using this demo?

“Between current projects, new hair-brained projects that'll get dumped on you from on high, the election, canceled flights, laundry, the playoffs, and just needing a life, most free trial users create a login, click around a bit, get called into an emergency meeting later that day, and never login again until they get an email reminding them their trial is about to end, then they let it lapse or call and ask for an extension.

"May I ask, what is the #1 problem you are hoping to make go away this quarter—and forever—with this software?"

See what I'm doing here?

You must get your prospect to open up—not to you, but to themselves.

We don't know what we really want and need.
We don't know what we're really willing to pay for something
We don't know what we're really willing to do to reach our goals because we don't really have goals.
We have whims and desires and fleeting feelings that shift with the wind or the Oscars or MSNBC or our latest hangover.

This is what I mean by "close first, then present."

Close the prospect on their real goals and fears and desires and doubts up front.

Close them on creating an objective plan with a team with duties and responsibilities and timeframes and clear expectations.

Once this happens, things flow smoothly and without pressure from then on.

You picking up what I'm putting down?

I'm helping clients do this in several ways right now:
—1:1 via Pick My Brain
—1:1 via my Initial Process Assessment
—1:1 via my 90-day private coaching
—Small group in my Inner Circle

Let me know what you need and I'll send you a link to the best option for you.

Market like you mean it. Now go sell something! 👍

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