Whether you are trying to get an introduction, meeting or interview, we all need to “close” the deal/ask for the order. If you have always had a role where you were the one doing the “hunting”, then this all resonates with you, and you truly understand. If your role has not been one on the front line drumming up business and the like, this may be more ambiguous. My hope is to share some tips that will help move the needle for all.
Background
For the purposes of simplicity, I will be using the candidate looking for a new job as the protagonist. Feel free to modify my talk track to suit your needs. Some things to remember:
1. You can only control what you can control.
And a lot of it is out of your control. What you can control, you must. The rest you need to let it go. You are traveling two hours for the meeting and 15 minutes before you are supposed to leave, it starts snowing. Well, unless it’s a storm, I recommend you not cancelling the meeting. You need to push through and show the interviewer that if you were in the role, you would do your utmost to be there.
2. Things happen for a reason/dodging a bad scene.
There is karma in the world, and it behooves you to be rational about decisions being made about you, but not by you. Perhaps the fit would not have been good for you anyway. The hiring manager could be a difficult person. They may be reducing their headcount later in the year and you would be one of the first to be separated (LIFO—last in, first out rule). The reason the role has been a revolving door may not be apparent to you, until you start and day one, it rears its ugly head and NOW you see why the role was vacant for so many months.
3. Turning feedback into action.
The key thing about closing the deal is implementation. It is mission critical for all of us to solicit feedback, understand it and then put some changes in place to address any of our blind spots. It may be hard to leave yourself open to critical comments or make a safe space in order for someone to share something you need to hear, but that’s what all successful executives do. They make themselves vulnerable, they listen like crazy, and they implement change.
How To Get Them to Say Yes
The reality is we do not control them or what they think or say but we can control how we come across and make it easy for them to say YES!
Delivery: You have one chance to make a stellar first impression and it is indeed a lasting impression. Always speak positively and with energy and authenticity. Practice, practice, practice what you are going to say.
Body Language: If the meeting is in person, it is a bit easier to connect with the other person but your ability to do so via phone and/or zoom is critical in this post-COVID era. Make meaningful eye contact and be sure to be looking in the camera if the meeting is via Zoom. Smile, use the person’s name and use purposeful gestures. Sit up straight and maintain good posture throughout (this shows strength, fitness, good energy and fortitude.) Control your expressions. You would be surprised how many people I catch on camera (yes, they can be taping you and often do…) rolling their eyes or smirking. Yikes!
Voice Modulation: This is a powerful tool in communicating. Vary your pitch, speed, tone and volume to convey different emotions, emphasize points and to maintain the other person’s interest.
Questions to Ask: All questions you ask should be related to the person’s field/role, so it is clear you have done your homework and prepared pertinent and probing questions. The more they speak and share, the better. Then you are building trust. This is the first step to getting them to say YES! Something everyone can ask no matter the role or sector is, “This role seems to really align well with my experience and background. Is there anything that you think I could use more of?” See below for more.
Phrases to Use:
- Now that I have learned more about the role, and all of the nuances and opportunity, I am even more interested.
- The team has been terrific, and I love the culture, especially….
- I have always wanted to interview here. The brand is stellar, and I very much align with the product mix etc.….
- Is there anything else about the role that concerns you in any way?
- When I read the analysts’ reports, I was so pleased to hear that…
- When I listened to the CEO’s podcast, I was glad to learn that….
Brand: All of the above make up your brand. It will determine what they say about you when you leave the room (I got that line from Jeff Bezos). What are they saying about you?
Lastly, it is imperative for you to ask very simply, “does this seem like a good fit from your perspective?” or “Do you think there might be additional people for me to meet with?” or “It seems like you are really focused on xxxx, which I don’t have much experience in, am I right in that?” Ask the tough questions. If it was meant to happen, it will happen. You are just helping it along or learning the truth. No use wasting time thinking we are in the running if we truly are not. Be brave and ask. The worst they can say is no. Then you know how to spend your time more fruitfully on the next one. Go get ‘em!
For more tips and free info, visit my website at www.leeworkwise.net
