Forget ABC; It's ABQ
If you were around in the early nineties, you might've seen a movie called Glengarry Glen Ross. It was an old-time sales movie. And the basic theme was “coffee is for closers. It's ABC— always be closing.”
I disagree with that. It's tough to close business if the account's not qualified. So what I believe in is ABQ— always be qualifying.
Find people consistent with what you do best. Make sure that they are ready, willing, and able to buy. Make sure they want it, need it, will use it, can afford it, and we'll decide on it.
It's tough to close when it's not qualified. So make sure you're always qualifying and you're qualifying everything. Everything they say and they do.
Because people will say things and then you compare it to what they do. That's the best way to tell whether they're serious about what they say.
And things like, do they cooperate? Do they give you the information you need when you need it to help them with their project? Do they introduce you to other members of the buying committee? Do they respond appropriately when you call or email?
It's all about whether they do what makes them and their behavior qualified to do business with you. And once again, if they're not qualified, why are you trying to close them?
One of the biggest qualifiers to me is whether somebody keeps their word. Do they keep their word?
Because when I get positive answers and responses to all these questions, I know there's a better chance that this person may buy from me. That this company may need what I have. That this company may go the distance to help us have a win-win situation.
And it's real simple. If you qualify and keep asking better questions, and getting better answers (the little abq), closing is just the next logical question. It makes closing not only simple, but easy.
Because it's not one of those awkward things where, oh, gee, I got to close business. Oh no, it's the next logical question.
So keep in mind, instead of ABC let's ABQ, let's make sure we're always be qualifying.
