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| The definition of closer is a person or thing that closes |
A fabulous example of a slick and rich executive preaching this philosophy as he absolutely rips into a sales force can be found in the movie Glengarry Glen Ross, and I've always found this single performance performed by Alec Baldwin amazing. I've heard people scoff at the character he portrays, balking about how he represents everything wrong with America. It baffles the hell out of me, frankly, because his no-nonsense get'r done mentality is what has driven progress in our beautiful capitalistic society. I've had push-over bosses before and I learned nothing from them. If at any point in my career, I fall into a put of under-performing (I won't) and pick up the nasty habit of excuse making and complacency, it would be a blessing to have someone like Alec's character storm into the office and shake things up. Set things straight.
1. Setting & Evaluating Goals
Now, I don't necessarily advocate treating customers ruthlessly because in this day in age the win goes to the company who is most devoted to servicing their clientele base. What I love about the video is that it champions the idea of becoming a closer on every level. I look at that chalkboard, see "Always Be Closing" and to me that means every waking second. Not just when you finish revving up your morale engines with a third cup of coffee after being at work for an hour, but the second you set your feet on the floor each morning. There may not be outside customers around at five o'clock in the morning to deal with right away but you should be closing yourself; on the goals and day you have ahead, on what you're grateful for in life, on your financial plan, and so forth. If we need to be sold on and believe in a product in order to sell it well, we must be thoroughly sold on the biggest product of all: ourselves.
It can also be said that our rituals define us as human beings. Whether hygienic, personal or spiritual we all have them, so in the spirit of becoming a better all-around closer, here are three key rituals I've observed of a true closer...
3. Early To Rise, First To Conquer
Unless your body clock and work schedule are directly in alignment with the graveyard shift, this likely applies to you. Successful closers understand they are granted only a limited amount of time each day to get things done. Thriving on staying ahead of the curve it's only natural they want to be rockin' and rollin' before the rest of the world turns over in their beds the second time. A great closer also cherishes their body, so if they're going to be working late they've got to incorporate a solid work-out routine and the best time for that is before heading to start doing business with the rest of the world. You're body is a presentation itself so there's a lot to be said about maintaining a solid exercise routine and making it a ritual as well.
Interestingly, if your work schedule is causing you to have the sleeping pattern of a vampire, take into consideration that circadian rhythm is very much so light dependent. Being exposed to light before sleeping will drastically reduce levels of melatonin. Although production of melatonin decreases as we age, it's interesting to note that optimum levels are released between midnight and eight o'clock in the morning. This could also be a factor that affects overall well-being of a truly good closer. Most importantly, research shows that early risers lead happier and healthier lives. The more emotionally and physically stable the bodily environment, the better the closer.
2. Use Success Incantations
Don't let the word "incantation" fool you, it's got nothing to do with anything occult. Whether we know it or not we utilize incantations as emotional triggers on a daily basis. Think about certain thought patterns you find yourself using in response to situations. When you approach a customer and ask them, "How can I help you?" that itself is an incantation. Anything you say that has emotional pull to it can be considered as much, and the phrase "How can I help you?" definitely has a lot of sway. An entire chapter in a book could be spent discussing why you shouldn't use such scripts because of the negative reaction they will cause, yet I want to talk about an even more critical subject. The scripts you're using on yourself.
If you find yourself saying literally anything that elicits a negative response each time, stop saying it. The same goes with any wordless thought you form. You've got to claim self-awareness, pay attention to what goes on repeatedly inside your head, and realize that negative looping tracks are negative incantations. They're the reason we keep falling into bad relationships, jobs we hate, and doing things that sabotage our success.
Instead, first go about discovering what thought patterns and incantations you have that build you up. Chances are you have them even if you don't use them much. If it's a previous experience, harness that memory and associate an incantation to it. If you're a nurse, think of an emotionally rewarding time when you helped out a patient. Now, make a statement that declares a purpose you have or belief about yourself. It could be, "I help people each day get over physical, mental and emotional trauma, leading and assisting in the healing process". This incantation could reinforce a goal. If you're striving to become an entry-level nurse or a better nurse, it's safe to say you could utilize this incantation as an emotional trigger to build yourself up? A terrific closer emotionally owns the notion that we are the grand sum total of the inputs going inside of our mind, takes control of the inputs, and uses emotional triggers to create positive ones. This is more relevant to non-salespeople than most realize. If you're going to be a nurse, be sold on every aspect of being a nurse.
1. Setting & Evaluating Goals
Sounds simple, doesn't it? Deceitfully simple. The reality is that you won't become successful by accident, you'll be aware of your progress each step of the way; planning and evaluating goals as you go. No CEO got to where they are by just showing up to work each day. They had detailed goals. Big ones, small ones. Daily goals and monthly goals. The biggest ritual I've seen people have who make outstanding closers is the sheer persistence in goal-setting and evaluation. If a goal starts out too big, you break it down into bite-size chunk. You'll know if it's too big because you'll be evaluating your goals and progress as you go, won't you? I had it drilled into my head in every sales training class I took back when I first immersed myself in professional sales, "What you don't track you can't improve."
Whatever way you go about recording your goal progress is up to you. I keep logs, myself, in a similar fashion to the logs we kept back in auto sales of every customer that walked on the lot. I write down every detail I perceive affecting the goal, analyze the current situations and what is currently affecting said goal, and tweak my game plan from there. Every day. I began doing this while working at a car dealership while everyone was in their huddle by the coffee table or outside smoking cigarettes together, focused on everything but creating productive rituals to increase their likelihood of success.
Since that time I've had the opportunity to meet with a wide variety of successful people. Coincidentally, I always find these kind of new acquaintances share a ritual with myself: we set goals ritualistically and aggressively evaluate them. What about you?
