Want to be a better closer?
I’m going to share ten of the top things I learned from my friend and mentor, Joel Bauer, that helped me be a stellar closer.
Joel is known as the Mentor’s Mentor. For the past 30 years, he has trained more than 1,900 of the top-producing speakers, authors and entrepreneurs.
He has perfected the art of closing. Of all the things I’ve learned from him, these are the top tips you’ll need to be the best closer.
How to Be a Better Closer: 10 Tips from Joel Bauer
One: You need to share your back story.
Before attending one of Joel’s trainings, I would have assumed no one cared about my back story. I thought I needed to get straight to the “meat and potatoes.” People came to the event to learn about growing their business not to learn about my childhood. But, I was wrong. You have to share your backstory so the audience can get to know you and you can build a rapport with them. You can’t close an audience that doesn’t trust you. Building that trust starts by letting them know who you are and the journey that lead you to where you are today.
Two: You’re closing the moment you walk on stage.
Joel jokes that “I closed you before your parents even conceived you.” His point is simple, but frequently overlooked by speakers. You don’t wait until the end and flip a switch to enter “closer mode.” You’re closing from the moment you walk onto the stage. Every detail from the way you look, how you enter the room or what you do first will influence someone’s decision to make a purchase.
Three: Integrate testimonials throughout all your materials.
Joel taught me to prove to your audience that what you just taught them works by showing a testimonial. Joel now takes it a step further in his teaching by using a testimonial before and after a lesson. Before the lesson, Joel uses an “expectation testimonial” to set the stage for what the audience will learn. After reviewing the topic, he uses a “confirmation testimonial” to reveal the true potential of his processes.
Four: Desensitize the price.
You don’t want people to have sticker shock. Help the audience ease into your pricing by avoiding using the word price all together. Joel refers to it as an investment. By calling it an investment, you’re letting the audience know they can expect a return for their money. This isn’t a sales gimmick either. I’d estimate for every $1 I spent training with Joel, I got $600 by applying what he taught me.
Five: It’s not about “slaying.”
You’ll never hear me say “I want to slay the room.” Closing isn’t about conquering your audience. Closing is about building a relationship with your audience so you can help them. If you’re only motivated by selling and not how your product, service or process can help your audience, then it will be impossible to develop the meaningful relationships that grow into repeat customer and ultimately raving fans.
Six: A great closer understands the importance of language.
Mastering language is the most essential tip for growing your business. It doesn’t matter how good your product or service is if you don’t have the right language to describe who you are, why your processes or product works, and what it can do for the audience.
I once invested thousands in a Neuro-linguistic programming course. It’s the only training I never completed. It was awful, dry and boring. Ironically a language instructor couldn’t find right language to engage the audience.
Seven: Pay attention to your sequence.
It’s not just how and what you say that matters. It also matters what order it’s in. You can have the most effective language in the world, but if the sequence is off you won’t close as much as you should. It doesn’t mean you won’t close some of the audience, but if you match the right language with the right sequence your business will grow exponentially.
Eight: Start with emotion first, then the words will come.
I used to be a pretty awful presenter. I would write out my script and memorize it. I came off sounding like a robot – especially in videos. But, then Joel gave me this profound advice “start with emotion first.” When you start with emotion, it lets the audience connect with you and creates an environment where your presentation flows naturally.
Nine: Confidence comes from being you.
When I first started speaking, I assumed I need to master the right movements to appear confident. I even went to some trainings that showed which hand gestures projected the most confidence. It didn’t work. It appeared unnatural. The best way to appear confident is to simply be you. Do what feels natural to you. Don’t try to appear like a slick sales person.
Joel does have one simple rule for what do you with your hands: keep them out of your pockets. Putting your hands in your pockets make you seem like you don’t know what to do with them.
Ten: Be like water. Anything that happens was a part of the plan all along.
Anything can happen when you’re in front of an audience. The challenge for you is to just go with the flow. No matter what the disruption – a power outage, the blue screen of death, audio issues – act like it was a part of your plan. This simple technique demonstrates that you’re confident, in-control and are well equipped to handle any situation.
Discover More Secrets to Closing
If you want to take your speaking, presentation and selling skills to the next level, go grab a free copy of Platform Closing (just cover shipping) at platformclosing.com.
