Secrets of Closing the Sale

by Zig Ziglar

It got awfully quiet for a few seconds; then he asked me a question which I think is one of the most significant questions I’ve ever been asked. It revealed a great deal about human nature and had an impact on my thinking as a salesman. Question: “Mr. Ziglar, what would I tell my neighbors?” Now please understand that of all the people in our country, the most independent of the independent are the farmers. This particular farmer certainly fit that role. Additionally, he was a “big man” in the community. He was a wealthy and respected member of the school board, and yet he was asking, “What would I tell my neighbors?” Get Him Out of the Corner Why was he asking it? Very simple. When he was invited to the demonstration, he had told the hostess, “I’ll go, but I’m not about to buy any four-hundred-dollar set of pots!” He was late for the demonstration, and when he made his entrance one of his neighbors kidded him by saying, “Well, I see you’ve come to buy yourself a set of pots.” To this he had loudly (I heard him from back in the kitchen) proclaimed, “I’ve come to eat the man’s food! I’m not about to buy any four-hundred-dollar set of pots!” Everybody there heard him, so he had literally painted himself into a corner. At this point, having seen the demonstration the night before and the financial presentation today, he is sold on the cookware. He wants to buy and he certainly has the money, but before he will buy I’ve got to get him out of that corner so he doesn’t lose face...