Let’s start this discussion with a stipulation that all successful sales have to go through some sort of closing stage. \u00a0Nothing happens until a customer or client agrees to pay your company for the delivery of a service or a product. \u00a0So, in the strictest sense, I guess we can call that a “close”. \u00a0We can also imagine that all commerce in the world would come to a screeching halt unless some kind of transaction closing happened.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n So, good closing techniques are essential – right? \u00a0And if that’s so why am I targeting closing techniques as a myth?<\/p>\n A Closing\u00a0Process\u00a0is Different than a Closing\u00a0Technique<\/span><\/p>\n A “Closing Process” is likely to be mechanistic. \u00a0Get the quantity and delivery dates correct, get the PO issued and confirm with the customer your ability to meet the delivery schedule. \u00a0These days that process may be enabled by all sorts of mobile systems, and field inventory accessibility tools. \u00a0That’s mechanistic closing.<\/p>\n “Closing Techniques” are something different all-together. \u00a0 Closing Techniques are many times designed to manipulate the emotions of the buyer, or to create a sense of urgency, guilt or fear, toward the end of triggering a commitment to buy. \u00a0At one level, an example might be a car salesman saying something like, “Well, these models are going fast. \u00a0In fact, there was a guy in here earlier that test drove and liked the exact car you just expressed an interest in. \u00a0He said he was bringing his wife back this evening for a final decision.” \u00a0Or, in a business-to-business environment, “We are just about at capacity and if you really need delivery in July, we need to get your order committed and on the schedule no later than end of this week.”<\/p>\n Well before you assume that closing techniques are cool, perhaps even having been indoctrinated by the training your own sales management required, consider the following information – then decide for yourself.<\/p>\n The Impact of being “Closed” by a “Closing Technique”\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Neil Rackham in his book “SPIN Selling<\/a>” reveals the results of 10 years of research done by the\u00a0Huthwaite Center<\/a>\u00a0into high $-value sales success, analyzing 10,000 sales people and 35,000 sales calls in 27 countries. \u00a0They studied 116 factors that might contribute to sales success. \u00a0<\/p>\n The results of that study concluded that customers with which “Closing Techniques” were used (emotional, urgency or fear) were:<\/p>\n