Greg Hyer says, “sThe strategy of “Always Be Closing” was popularized by the 1992 movie, “Glengarry Glen Ross.” It’s a mindset that has all too often confused sales people into rushing through the sales process just so they can start working on a new prospect. Some would call it “Sales Efficiency.” I see this resulting in poor relationship building and poor retention. Sales is never about closing. It’s about opening and creating relationships built on trust and value. So rather than say A – Always, B – Be, C- Closing, we should be using A – Always, B – Be, C – Creating.

I have spoken with a few sales managers over the past couple months that wanted to get a better understanding of social selling and if it can help enhance their current selling system. Their initial perspective is that introducing the use of social networks into their selling system will result in reduced productivity because reps will spend the majority of their time researching rather than making outbound calls. Their concerns are common among sales management professionals.

I explained to these sales managers that Social Selling is about opening new relationships, rather than closing business. Social Selling offers a number of principles that guide sales people while they guide buyers through the buyer’s journey. But, having a fundamental understanding of how Social Selling complements your current selling system is critical. Once you understand this, maybe this perspective will help you rethink sending that cold email, making that cold call or sending a LinkedIn invite with a pitch inside”.

Social Selling is About Opening, Not Closing

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