The Perfect Close by James Muir. A Sales Closing Book Review On This Great Book On Closing Sales.
Truly a fantastic book on closing sales.
After 40 years in sales, and as a sales book author…I thought I had seen just about every technique…every method of selling…every close.
From one professional to another, if you are in sales, you need to buy this book.
At the beginning of the book, the author James Muir tells you that you can just skip to chapter 12 to get the close if you like. Bold move, and a smart one.
In chapter 12 the author gives you two questions to ask the prospect. Just two. And these questions will allow sales to close themselves…without pressure, without tricks, without mastering a long litany of sales tactics. The prospect feels no pressure, but more importantly, neither do you. The questions are totally conversational and non-threatening.
But wait…there’s more ! (sorry, I couldn’t help myself)
Still in chapter 12, you get the reasons..in complete detail…as to why these specific two questions need to be asked, and in a very specific way. The author goes on to explain what is going on in the prospect’s mind as they hear the questions. He gives examples of when newer reps asked similar questions..and why they failed. The words matter. It’s truly a perfectly crafted two questions. Shakespeare…don’t change them.
And then he goes on to explain the possible answers to the two questions, the best ways to handle any possible answer they give, and why these methods work.
Had I only read chapter 12, I would have still left a glowing review….and been satisfied with my purchase.
But I went back to the beginning, and read the rest. Believe me, you won’t want to stop after you get the close… In the rest of the book, you read about body language, and you read about the different aspects of closing, why some methods word, and others don’t….
He goes over the myths in selling. Meaning both myths that the general population has (like thinking GlennGarry Glen Ross really shows authentic selling methods)…and the more entrenched myths that some seasoned reps still hold onto.
Although the author mentions many other sales books and their contributions, you can tell that Muir really has his act together as far as having deep insights into the selling and closing proccesses themselves.
Muir goes into the mindset of a highly effective salesperson. The good news is, it isn’t what most people think. Integrity, knowledge and listening are stressed.
The book covers the entire sales process, and the rest of the book (other than chapter 12) really just supports what the close is, and everything that leads up to The perfect Close, and what follows.
I got the book on Kindle. I’m also going to buy the paperback, so I can take notes and mark it up. My only complaint is the Kindle version has a few photos that can obscure a little of the text. It’s a formatting issue.
One of my new top ten sales books I’ve ever read.
Claude’s Books;
One Call Closing: The Ultimate Guide To Closing Any Sale In Just One Sales Call https://amzn.to/3Ack5f4
Sales Prospecting: The Ultimate Guide To Referral Prospecting, Social Contact Marketing, Telephone Prospecting, And Cold Calling To Find Highly Likely Prospects You Can Close In One Call https://amzn.to/3u21EpO
Selling Essentials: Your First 90 Days In Selling https://amzn.to/3OqKxpK
Selling Local Advertising: The Best Kept Insider Secrets To Create Local Advertising Sales, FAST! https://amzn.to/3NnAUa7
Instant Sales Boost Podcast Website https://www.instantsalesboost.com/
Claude Whitacre has over 40 years of direct sales experience. In that time, he has trained hundreds of salespeople He is the author of six books on the subject of selling, as well as hundreds of articles. He has spoken to over 200 audiences across the US on how to how to find highly likely prospects and closing in one sales call.
Retiring in 2022 from actively selling, Claude wanted to give back to the sales and marketing fields by teaching the strategies and techniques that have proven so effective in his own selling.
One of the many strategies and practices Claude implemented over the decades is working with over 200 top salespeople on real sales appointments, in 71 different industries. He would work with them for a day, prospecting and going on sales appointments, with them. Then they would work with him in the field for a day. Eventually, Claude determined that about 98% of everything he used in his own selling was actually learned from top salespeople outside of his own core industry.
To pay forward what Claude has learned, he wanted to give salespeople the opportunity to benefit from what he did....learn from the best salespeople, experts, sales authors, and trainers from all over the country.
This podcast is that effort.