I still remember one of my mentors. He’s a small guy with a big personality. I’d never seen anyone in action like this before. Somehow he was hurried but composed. Quiet in conversation, loud in laugh. To give you an example, this is the same character that would literally run, almost clumsily, between meetings and presentations. Barely giving himself time to gather his step. While most people would give a 30-60 minute presentation, he would give a 3 hour presentation. Everything was just a little bit different and strange about his approach.

The average salesperson would take home $80,000 for the year. He took home $120,000 in a month. After witnessing it with my own eyes, I had to ask him how he does it. That’s when I took notes and shut up. This was time to learn and listen. I watched it in person, now it’s time to enter his mind.

He told me that there are three keys to every sales interaction, and if I could master these principles I’d be able to add so much value.

Mind you, he spoke in a very thick accent, which even added more to the mystery. He hated giving away advice and was supremely superstitious. There was a day that he took off his brand new dress shirt and calmly threw it away because he didn’t close a deal while wearing it. He said that shirt must have been bad luck. Another time where he said that he hadn’t changed his socks in four days because he was on a win-streak. I could go on about the superstitions, but there were certain beliefs that he held that separated him from the pack.

The $120,000 take-home wasn’t a one-off situation either. We’re talking about consistent month-over-month.

When I asked the question, he said that you must be: likable, respectable, and trustworthy. All things being equal, people buy from people. 

Likable

From the first moment that the client meets with you, there needs to be some factor that makes you likable. You may think that it’s always about having a superior solution. That’s great, but what often happens is that it just feels better and more comfortable buying from you. In order to be more likable you have to be confident and humble. People that are self-confident have no problem expressing their shortcomings or mistakes, because they accept both their strengths and their weaknesses. And, not being perfect makes them more authentic, human, and likable.

Also, pay attention and be present with who you are speaking with. Being on the phone, checking the last text or email alienates you from the person sitting across from you. When you are going to networking events, hosting a lunch, or just meeting people- build the relationships and be attentive. You’ve made the decision where you want to be and who you want to be around. Now be there.

Respectable

Summarized: Know what you are talking about and be professional when you explain it. Done.

Respect helps you lead your client through the journey at the pace that you set. If they don’t respect you, they will try to control the conversation, talk over you, check their messages, or block your pitch entirely. You met someone that you didn’t respect. Maybe they were a good person, but you just didn’t respect the way they dressed, their speech, skill, or knowledge. Here’s the problem, you know what key selling points are important for their success, especially if you diagnosed their problem appropriately. But, if they don’t respect you, they aren’t going to buy from you.

Trustworthy

Trust usually takes time and effort to earn from a person. In most relationships that can be built over a lifetime, and tarnished in a minute. Think about how important it must be to hold yourself to a high level of integrity. Mean what you say and say what you mean. You don’t have to lie and mislead clients in order to close the deal. Actually, if you need to deceive them, your solution isn’t what they need. Plain and simple. Here’s an interesting fact, if the client trusts you, they are 3x more likely to forgive a bad experience than salespeople that they didn’t trust. Buying from a slimy salesperson leaves you feeling pretty bad during the transaction and afterward too. If the product or service fits just right, you might excuse it, but you wouldn’t return. Trust creates repeat business and drives loyal partnerships and is the bedrock for every relationship, business or not.

In Closing

My mentor was a private seller that didn’t get too heavy into the accolades and recognition. It didn’t bother him, he just didn’t need it. He had his own internal compass leading his motivations. But, to hear him explain his three soft skills that catapulted his success, made me take out a notepad and get to writing. To go back, you need to have each of the characteristics above in order to be a top-tier closer. Be likable, respectable, and trustworthy.