Closing (sales)

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Closing is a sales term which refers to the process of making a sale. The sales sense springs from real estate, where closing is the final step of a transaction. In sales, it is used more generally to the achieving the desired outcome, which may be an exchange of money or acquiring a signature. Salespeople are often taught to think of targets not as strangers, but rather as prospective customers who already want or need what is being sold. Such prospects need only be "closed."

"Closing" is distinguished from ordinary practices such as explaining a product's benefits or justifying an expense. It is reserved for more artful means of persuasion, which some compare with confidence tricks. For example, a salesman might mention that his product is popular with a person's neighbors, knowing that people tend to follow perceived trends.

The term "closing" was popularized by the movie Glengarry Glen Ross, wherein Alec Baldwin's character preaches the rule of ABC: "Always Be Closing."

In automobile dealerships, a "closer" is often a senior salesman experienced in closing difficult deals.