The term ‘closing’ is a famous in sales, and it relates to finalising the sale and you can ‘close anything’:
- You could make a decision
- Commit to a goal
- Finalise a plan
- Choose a new career path
- Start a new fitness routine; or
- Book a holiday.
Closing is about making a decision, and ensuring action is taken in some way (positive or negative)
Here are some examples:
- You are offered an opportunity to travel to the United States to attend a conference in 4 months time. You need to say yes or no by the end of the week.
- The first thing you should do is mark down the opportunity and mark the end data for a decision.
- Then you need to walk through the logical steps you need to go through to make a decision. Things you might think about:
- Can you logistically make it work on that date?
- Will your budget flex to that? — and to determine that you need to know the details of the flights, and entry fee, and approximate travel costs.
The next step is to think about whether or not you want to go. What is the probability that event will deliver value to you that exceeds other courses of action?
At that conclusion of that analysis you’ll:
- Know if it’s a good opportunity or not.
- Understand how you feel about it.
- Weigh the time/cost/outcome ratio; and proceed or not.
The close here is the Decision. The next step is the ACTION where you:
- Book the conference
- Book the leave
- Book the flights etc.
Humans are notoriously bad closers, because they get uncomfortable with uncertaintly. They feel pressure. Or they get nervous. It’s usually just the unknown that’s the problem.
But it’s impossible to deliver change if you’re not willing to make a decision.
Structuring the decision process
Create a system to help you execute and confim these hard decisions:
Framework | Examples |
Understand what is required to close a deal | Be very clear on mechanistically how you close a deal, the steps, the costs and the time it’ll take. In the conference example - understand the logistical steps you need to carry out to complete the transaction. |
Understand the obligation risk | Be clear on what you’re signing up for. You may decide to pay $1000 extra for a flexible flight so you can get a refund on the event of cancellation. This gives you ultimate flexibility in your schedule. There are many tricks to enable risk. You also need to understand the likely benefit you’ll get by going vs the risks of failure if it doesn’t work. Here you want to perhaps read the schedule to look down the list to understand what is of value and what may not be of value. |
Track the decision window | Be clear on the time horizon. You may need to make a decision now, or in a weeks time - however, if the opportunity is good, and the uncertainty is low - don’t dither till the end. Close it immediately and schedule it so you can move onto the next decision. |
Talk to others about the decision | If you can’t decide because you don’t feel you have enough information, seek out other peoples opinions with the same facts. They may give you other perspectives. |
Look for non-obvious benefits | While in the conference example, you look directly at the benefits of learning what’s being spoken, do not underestimate other indirect opportunities the opportunity might present. You might network with other professionals from other companies. Being proximal to the action might win you other connections. Also think about how it might be percieved by others at your employer. Taking an action to self educate might create other opportunities you hadn’t thought of, and if you spend the time to drive across the US to the conference you may have fun doing it. |
When making decisions, don’t just look at 1 variable. Look the whole benefit. You might simply enjoy the experience of going travelling for a bit. Could be fun. You never know what might happen.
Conclusion
Mastering the art of closing deals is what distinguishes high performers. The best decision makers evaluate opportunities systematically, take decisive action within appropriate timeframes, and know when to walk away. By developing a structured approach to closing, you'll capture valuable opportunities while preserving energy for high-potential pursuits. Remember that effective closing isn't just about saying "yes"—it's about making intentional choices aligned with your goals, then executing with conviction.
This skill, once developed, becomes a powerful advantage in all areas of life.