I'd footnote who I'm stealing this from but the author's name lives on one of my deceased brain cells.
The author noted- contained in the word "Closer" or "Close"- is the word Lose. If your client- who agonized over a very, VERY important decision- saw you fist-bumping and chest thumping your way through the sales floor, how would that play with them? Feel good about that decision now, Customer X?
Just ritual and harmless celebration for a job well done, you say? Bullcrap. It's a pervading and all-encompassing mindset.
This is one of the many, legit reasons businesspeople don't like salespeople. I exerted my will over you! I win, you lose! CLOSED the SOB!
At least a dozen times in my life a senior manager has brought an important customer or a prospective client through the sales floor as part of a facility tour. Before that guided tour commenced, down came ALL the stuff associated with clients being targeted and tracked. Whiteboards/scoreboards, Sales Bells, Buzzers and Whistles, Contests etc...all down. Why are you hiding what is true? It will make the customer feel a certain way? Yeah...you're right, it will.
And you still run your sales operation that way. I wonder why the turnover in sales is unlike any other line of work?
Competition is healthy, guided ambition is good. Winning business is freakin' great...it feels GREAT. It feels great for your customer, too. That centuries old mindset about how to do business in respect to "closing" customers is greasy and mega unprofessional.
