Closing Techniques: Good? Bad? Ugly?

In my last post, “Closing”, Another “Bad Word” In Sales?, I addressed my desire to have the topic of “closing”, generally, viewed in a more positive light. Based on my experience, I believe part of why there are negative connotations that go along with the word “closing” is related to the use of various “Closing Techniques”.  Some of this is the result of what I discussed in The Pride and Prejudice of Sales, as a failure to recognize that “There is a legitimacy to the Sales function in business. It isn’t ‘palming off.’ That is hucksterism.” Unfortunately, this perception is exacerbated when Sales People are overheard saying things like, “Wow! You should try that technique. It works like a charm.”

I’ve admitted that, at a gut-level, I can connect with the “huckster” bias that seems to be systemic in our culture. And, I also have to admit that my initial reaction to “Closing Techniques” wasn’t welcoming.  I, too, saw them as ways to “charm” others into opening their wallets for whatever the Sales Person was “palming off”. That was my attitude when I first encountered the teachings of ”The Guru of Closing Techniques”, Zig Ziglar. Even his name sounded like someone who should be starring in a magic act in Vegas. But there was something about the guy and the way he presented his materials that made me decide to take a closer look.

For me, the most important thing that I learned ”about the guy” is that Zig Ziglar is a man of faith. Now, that may not be important to you and even if it is, there are plenty of folks who present themselves as men and women of faith but their walk doesn’t match their talk. Since I, too, am a man of faith, it was important to me and from what I’ve observed, Mr. Ziglar’s faith seems to be genuine and deep. But, in this context, that’s only important in as much as it got me to pay closer attention. When I did, I realized that “the way he presented his materials” was the most important factor in this regard. And that is the perspective I want to take in considering the questions I raise about “Closing Techniques” in the title of this post … Good? Bad? Ugly?

In examining these questions, perhaps its best to take a look at specific “Closing Techniques” to see how they fit in with what I’ve called the “legitimacy to the Sales function in business”. One challenge in doing this is the sheer number of known “Closing Techniques”. In his book ’Zig Ziglar’s Secrets Of Closing The Sale”, over 100 “Closing Techniques” are illustrated. So, to make this manageable, I decided to assess a single “Closing Technique” in this light. My hope is that this will provide sufficient illumination on the topic in general. However, with over 100 to chose from, just from Ziglar’s book, its practically impossible to pick out “the perfect example”. So, I just decided to use a fairly common “Closing Technique” that I remember learning in the first Professional Selling Skills course I took … The Puppy Dog Close.

The fittingly named Puppy Dog Close comes from a technique used by those trying to “get rid of” (by selling or giving away or whatever) a litter of pups. The basic technique involves the purveyor of the puppies telling the prospective pet owner that they can take the puppy home and if they don’t like it, they can just bring it back. The “charm” of the technique is that the Sales Person ends up letting the puppy do the work of making the sale … when the prospective pet owner has the puppy play with him, lick his face, devotedly waiting at the end of the day, etc.

So, where does The Puppy Dog Close fit in with the “legitimacy to the Sales function in business”? Is it Good? Or Bad? Or Ugly? In my opinion, the answer to each of these questions is a resounding … It Depends. Perhaps the prospective pet owner is well suited for the puppy under consideration. Maybe just experiencing the right-fit is what’s needed. If so, that’s Good. But, what if circumstances include that the prospective pet owner lives alone in a small dwelling and is away for most of every day. Though the circumstances might make this not a right-fit, the affection developed during the “trial period” could result in the puppy not being returned out of a sense of guilt. I’d say that’s Bad. And, its possible that even if an attempt is made to return the puppy, the original owner of the puppy may manipulate circumstances to prevent the return. This, indeed, is Ugly.

So, what is to be learned from this? The lesson here is that, like many things in life, “Closing Techniques” can be Good or they can be Bad or they can even be Ugly. It really depends on how these techniques are applied. My goal, with the SOL&D blog is to benefit other Sales Professionals. In doing this, I want to promote practices that serve the “legitimacy to the Sales function in business.” Of course, then, I want to do what I can to encourage my fellow Sales Professionals to strive to only use “Closing Techniques” in a “Good” way. Rather than just sounding like the Sales version of Star Wars’ Obe Wan Kenobi, crying out, “Don’t go to the dark side!”, let me offer some specifics recommendations on how to accomplish this:

1. Become familiar with every “Closing Technique” you can find.
2. Develop a clear understanding of how each one can be applied in a “Good” way. I think the last article I posted, “Closing”, Another “Bad Word” In Sales?, offers a helpful definition for a “Good” application of “Closing Techniques” - i.e., “… a way to determine if and how the Sales process is ready to move forward.”
3. In working with Prospects, maintain the sort of attitude I express with my tagline – “Fearlessly Securing (The Prospect’s) Business Goals”. That way, you’ll be better equipped to know if and when a particular “Closing Technique” can be “Good” for them.

So, what are your views on “Closing Techniques”? Do you agree that Whether they’re Good or Bad or Ugly depends on application? Do you think that my choice of The Puppy Dog Close made a good example or are there other “Closing Techniques” that you would’ve used because they bring out other considerations? If so, what are those considerations? And, what other specific steps do you recommend in order for “Closing Techniques” to be used in a “Good” way? As always, we want to hear your views, so they can be shared to benefit others.

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