Hey, 👋 Scott from The Sales Mastermind here.

Today’s edition only takes 2 minutes.

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You will only get something you ask for.

Yet so many sellers never ask for the sale.

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On Friday, my father-in-law and I went out for a steak dinner.

After ordering two wagyu flanks with miso eggplant for our mains, the waitress asked if we would try the potato skin entrée (appetizer for North Americans).

She explained they were a new "special," and everyone was raving about them.

You might be shocked to hear we ordered potato skins and grilled octopus.

Since we were having two courses, we also ordered a bottle of wine.

If the waitress hadn't promoted the potato skins, we might have stuck with just the wagyu flanks.

The experience was enjoyable for us and profitable for the restaurant.

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You have to ask

Having audited almost 100 calls in 2023, I found that only a few ended with the seller asking for the sale.

While buyers often see closing as the seller's responsibility, many sellers fear alienating buyers by asking them to buy.

The more you ask, the more buyers will agree to give you money.

Be like the waitress above and always ask for the business.

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Make it a System

James Clear has a great line - "You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems."

So make closing a system. At the end of every sales meeting, have a specific system you repeat to ask for the business.

Use one of the lines further down this newsletter.

You may have a set time in the meeting when you'll ask for the business.

Whatever works for you, ensure it is a system you use on every call.

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Be direct

To succeed when asking for the sale, it's all about the delivery.

Directness, confidence, and expectation of success are good tones to embody.

When the time comes, according to your system, make sure your closing line is crystal clear about what you are asking for and give the buyer space to say "yes" or a chance to say "not yet."

Then, let them explain their decision.

The more you prompt and push for the close while staying confident, the more chance someone will say yes.

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Alternative closing styles:

Consumer sellers (jewelry, cars, etc.) are famous for lines like "Will that be cash or card?" or "Are you taking this away today, or would you like to pick it up another time?"

A good line makes it clear buying is the outcome without putting undue pressure on the buyer.

A little pressure is acceptable, even good; too much pressure will push many buyers away.

In a B2B context, two of the most straightforward closing structures you can use are:

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Direct Close

A direct close is as it sounds. Ask the buyer if they want to buy.

It follows the idea of KIS - Keep It Simple.

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Indirect Close

With an indirect close, the idea is to ask a question where the buying answer is "No." Be aware that an indirect close is much harder to pull off than a direct one.

For more on this idea, see Chris Voss's "No Oriented Questions."​

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No matter how you close, please make sure you ask for the business every time.

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Until next week,
Scott Cowley

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