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Timing the close
The risk of a counter-attack
Imagine you are doing a karate punch into thin air. Stand with your feet about 18" apart, and don't move them.
Now imagine you are going to strike an opponent who is about three paces in front of you, without moving your legs.
It's going to be difficult to hit your target. Even if you do make contact, your technique will lack power, and you will be off-balance, leaving you open to a counter-attack.
Don't try and close prospects before they are ready. You run the risk of not making it at all, because your timing is wrong and your closing technique will lack power. If your prospect takes advantage of your weakened position and launches a counter attack, you risk giving ground in the form of an unplanned discount.
The importance of technique
Imagine someone is standing right in front of you, so you're almost nose to nose. A punch at this range will lack power. It's important to understand which technique is most appropriate.
In sales, we have to know when and how to close. Leaving it too late means the prospect has the initiative, and might go somewhere else.
These two metaphors show that, in karate, distance is important, and in sales, timing is everything. Close too early, or too late, and you leave yourself open to a lot of unnecessary pain. Know when to close, and the appropriate technique to use.
Maintaining a Positive Mental Attitude
Imagine you are down on the floor, and an attacker is standing over you. This isn't comfortable. You're down, and it's not looking good.
What if you could tell your attacker that, as soon as you think you have the opportunity, you will hit them in the groin, hard, with everything you have got. You've only got one shot, but you only need one shot.
When we say this at our training courses, the attendee standing over us almost always moves away quickly. And we get up to fight again.
When we're down, we're not always out. A Positive Mental Attitude can give us a second window of opportunity.
There will be many times in sales when you feel you are down: a cancelled order, a postponed meetings, nurtured prospects leaving the company.
You will be down, but as long as you maintain a Positive Mental Attitude, you will not be out. If you never quit, you cannot fail. And you will win.
Many Black Belts, Nick included, have failed a grading. But they don't look on it as failure. They got up, improved a few things, and passed next time. And went on to pass more belts.
You can learn to do the same. Let Maximum Impact sales training show you that, even if you don't win first time, you will learn, and you will change. And you will win.
Next course: Friday February 15th
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