“If the only tool you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail”. Abraham Maslow, perhaps more widely recognized for his Hierarchy of Needs theory (remember the pyramid?), left us with this nugget expressing the importance of outside-the-box thinking. The proverbial golden hammer then, is any tool, technology, paradigm, snake oil, buzzword or similar whose proponents enthusiastically sing its praises. They predict that it will solve multiple problems, including some for which it is obviously not suitable. Likewise, a literal golden hammer looks highly impressive but is no better (and quite possibly worse) for hitting things than a hammer made of cheaper materials.

So what’s the golden hammer in the selling process? The close.

In the film Glengarry Glen Ross, Alec Baldwin played the role of Blake, an overbearing and abusive sales manager who barked out some “golden hammer wisdom” to his subservient sales team, “A – always, B – be, C- closing, always be closing, always be closing”. Many sales organizations still embrace this dark side. It attaches the seller’s self-worth to their ability to manipulate seemingly unsuspecting buyers to submit to the seller’s will for the sake of a sale.

Geoffrey James lists some closes that are, sadly, still taught to this day. While entertaining to read, he accurately describes them as ineffective in his Sales Machine blog:

• The assumptive close. Ask the customer to make a meaningless decision that assumes a decision has been made. Example: “Do you want that in the hunter green or the hunter orange?”
• The flyfish close. Promise something valuable then take it away if a decision isn’t made now. Example: “We have a special offer – a 15 percent discount – but only if you decide to buy now.”
• The puppy-dog close. Let the customer try the product for free in the hopes the customer will fall in love with it. Example: “We’ll give you the product free for your evaluation and only charge you if you don’t return it.
• The reverse close. Ask a customer who’s saying “no” to a question intended to elicit a “no” that actually means “yes.” Example: “Is there any reason that you wouldn’t do business with our company?”

Buyers see it coming a mile away. Whatever deposits you’ve built up in the “trust bank account” get erased by withdrawals in the exact increments buyers view them as manipulative. Jeffrey Gitomer said, “People don’t like to be sold, but they love to buy”. The misguided notion that successful sellers know how to close their buyers – is not only a myth, it’s a perfect example of why people don’t like to be sold to. Although it may work for a one-time transaction, closing tactics serve as a road block to a long-term

trusting relationship.

So how should sellers empower the buyer to a decision? Here are three places to start:

1. Trade the hammer for a stethoscope – Diagnose the patient before you treat. That means investing the time up front, in what I describe as the research and discovery stage of the selling process. It goes beyond understanding their needs, but to understanding their wants. Attempt to learn what the buyer believes to be important and/or emotional.

2. Create value - Value creation is a matter of perception. Whether you have the best, lowest, most, you-fill-in-the-blank – offering; the only thing that matters is lies in the buyer’s perception. Until they are convinced that the benefits outweigh the costs, they are not ready to move ahead with a commitment. Pushing them before they’re ready will only trigger a withdrawal in the trust bank account.

3. Think next step -View the decision to buy as a series of small decisions to move forward along the buying cycle. Asking their permission to go to the next step is perfectly appropriate, but do so only after you’ve “checked-in” with the buyer and they are ready to go there. In the spirit of empowering the buyer, you might ask them, “What would you recommend as the next step?”

From a 30,000 foot view, resist the pressure to attach your self-worth to the outcome of the sale. On the contrary, detach from the short-term result – make the relationship the sale.

By taking your foot off the gas pedal, rather than pressing down harder as you progress through the buyer’s decision-making process, you empower the buyer, increase trust and build enduring success. Leave the golden hammer in the toolbox.