Opening Customers rather than Closing Sales

An open, knowledgeable, involved, passionate and happy customer is easy to sell to. That is common sense. Using Opening instead of Closing should ease your sales process for all and also allow you to hire less expensive staff (markets generally value passion lower than formal skills).

There is much talk in the Sales Training field about “Closing” customers. Closing is often antagonistic, trying to outwit the opponent client. For many salesmen, closing is essentially, to use a nasty term, 'nailing their feet to the floor'. While this does work, the collateral damage is rarely considered. Antagonism requires a win-lose paradigm to operate. When the salesman does not win then the customer is usually “burned”. When the customer wins the salesman is burned. Of course burned or upset customers rarely return or recommend that business and burned salesmen become de-motivated and “off their game”.

Closing techniques generally require a face to face or at least a phone conversation to work. Getting sales across the line by using closing techniques requires feedback from the customer and then real time interpretation from the salesman and sales manager to work. The web does not afford this as information is largely one way.

Direct Marketers of old worked out techniques to close sales without a salesman present. Salesmanship in print became a big thing and we still see elements of it alive today in Abcruncher infomercials and the truly classic Readers Digest Sweepstakes letters. There is much to learn from these selling styles but caution is required in using them because the modern consumer is far more switched on and in control than they were in the 50’s. Coming on too heavy or not meeting the customer’s needs will result in a no deal, making this style of selling a knife edge for the unskilled.

For the average business, traditional closing techniques are too expensive for two reasons:

1. a) Salesmanship and Closing takes time to learn and become good at which is a time cost for a sole operator. b) Good salesmen cost a lot to keep, even though a good one should more than pay for him/herself.

2. Customers generally don’t like to feel that they are being sold to and closed (with some exceptions like cars and real estate where some customers feel let down if there isn’t a fight). If customers feel that they are on the back foot then they can leave which is a cost in itself

Opening on the other hand is far easier to learn and results in a natural close when done well. Opening sales technique is also far more enjoyable for customers and salesmen alike.

Opening a customer

Opening is the art of opening a customer to the idea of your product and doing business with your company. Once open, the customer should naturally desire more information and to progress to the next step. The close should be a simple process of working out how to put things together:

Cust: This purple paper clip seems really cool. How much is it? (buying signals 1 and 2)
Sales: Yes purple is cool. That one is $34.63 (and say no more; notice the exact cents in use; also note no attempt to close)
Cust: I have yellow curtains and I’m worried this purple paper clip will clash (objection, wonderful)
Sales: Why not go with the blue paper clip as blue and yellow go well together? (switch; still no attempt to close)
Cust: No. I like the purple one (eat hook mr customer!)
Sales: Ok, great. I do like the purple as that is really a special colour and ultimately far more collectible (where’s the close you ask, surely this guy is “legs up”)
Cust: Still not sure about the curtains issue (2nd objection, good) but I am a serious paper clip collector (hook tastes nice don’t it)
Sales: Well, purple paper clips are surely better to look at and collect. Hmmm, yellow curtains are a dilemma. You could get new curtains but I know your wife loves those so we better find another option (and shut your yap till…)
Cust: No, that won’t do. The wife loves those curtains (keep chewing that hook)
Sales: Hang on, I think I have a way (pause for…)
Cust: Yes? (I can barely see the hook now)
Sales: I know someone who makes great collector cabinets for displaying collectible paper clips. If you get him to make you one in brown that will go great with the curtains and really show off your posh purple paper clip (ta da!)
Cust: That is a good idea. Have you got his number? (I’m surprised this guy can talk with that hook way down there)
Sales: Even better why don’t I call him right now (and pick up the phone)
(phone conversation) Hey Bert, I got this serious collector with me buying a purple paper clip and there’s a slight dilemma we think you can solve for us – yep – yellow curtains – I know, but if you were to build us one of those great display cabinets – yes just like the one I got last year – in brown that’s right, then we’ll all be happy – great – here he is, just sort the particulars and I’ll grab the deposit for you and pop it over later Bert (hand phone to cust)
Cust: (off phone) That is is really great. It was time I had a cabinet for my collection
Sales: Yes, I love mine. Now I better just grab that deposit for old Bert to get started on your cabinet (note the order of sale here – takes cash and receipts customer) Why don’t you let me hold your purple paper clip in the shop till your new cabinet is ready so your wife doesn’t fuss over the curtains. (cust already has wallet out) I’ll just grab that money now and keep your paper clip out back. (finally the close)

Now I hear you say, that was just a big stinky old close you pulled there. Yes you are right but it’s what went before that made it go so easily. You see that Mr Salesman owns the Purple Paper Clip collectors emporium and spent an hour showing Mr Customer all the paper clips, talking about them and the larger world of paper clip collecting. None of this time was about actively selling anything, simply two people sharing a passion. There were no attempts to qualify or control this customer. Mr Customer knows that he is ‘amongst friends’ because he is. Messsrs Salesman and Customer are now part of the same world and the transaction is about furthering the lifestyle not about any one of them benefiting more than the other.

The salesman here is a natural opening salesman because he simply talks about his passions and shares and spreads them. The customer wants to share and will spread his own passion to others which is referrals. The comments in (brackets) are the reflections and advice of a trained closing salesman. This sale would have closed itself anyway even without any of the extra commentary or devices simply because the two sides were in harmony because of a strong opening. Knowing when and how to bring in other devices can improve sales conversion but if you have opened a customer well, they are in love and will forgive you a host of sins to get the object of their love.

If you think you can’t sell it is best not to care about sales conversion at all, simply focus on sharing your passion and that will attract the right customers.

An Opening Web Site Example

Well, I’d like to think this blog opens you the possibility of having a better web site for your business. A web site that is a good opener is www.answers.com. “But that is a meta search engine,” you say, “and they don’t sell anything.” Indeed and actually they do. Type in something that interests you and in lots of cases you get several articles from encyclopedias and lots of cross links to related subjects.

Let’s enquire on Bruce Springsteen and we get massive amounts of info on The Boss, links to related artists and what’s that I see: some CDs I can buy (from a partner provider). Reading the articles opens me up to wanting to own some more Bruce and heartland rock in general. The CDs give me a chance to close myself. If there aren’t CDs or I don’t like those available I am still going to be in more of a heartland rocker mood when I next go shopping so I am likely to come home with either more Bruce or perhaps Bon Jovi’s “Slippery When Wet” and John Mellencamp’s “Scarecrow” albums.

All from a good open.

Here is a wonderfully clever example of an opening – not quite what I meant but still just magic (in a cheeky way).