J. Douglas Edwards was a master in sales. You may not have heard of him, though, because he’s one of those old sales trainers from a long time ago. He started below the bottom and then learned how to sell his way past the top. He’s one of the greatest salespeople ever and he and a few others helped refine the techniques used by professionals in sales everywhere today.

Edwards pointed out that real pros have one quality most salespeople just don’t have ... guts. A lot of salespeople are nice, and their customers love talking to them, they just don’t sell much. And a lot of salespeople have a tremendous amount of product knowledge and don’t sell much, either. But most salespeople just don’t have the guts to ask for the order. Edwards said they’re so afraid of hearing a “No” they won’t let themselves ask for a “Yes”.

Plus, most salespeople who do try to close, don’t follow the basics, don’t build enough value and don’t know how to close the sale or overcome the objections they’re sure to get. And even though they’ve heard it again and again, most salespeople still just don’t understand this phrase: “Persistence Eliminates Resistance.” That isn’t just a cute saying, it’s a proven fact in sales, and without persistence, you’ll be stuck at average.

Fact: 78 of the next 100 people you talk to will buy, but 80% won’t buy until after the 5th time you’ve tried to close the sale and heard ‘No’. Why do people say “No” if they really want to say “Yes”? The short answer is two reasons:

1. Reflex. The same reason we all say, “Just looking,” when someone asks, “Can I help you?” Plus, you’ll usually hear ‘No’ if you ask a Yes / No closing question.

2. Fear. Sales psychologists found that when real buyers who liked the product were asked a Yes / No closing question, their reactions were similar to a mini heart attack, so almost all said ‘No’. When they were asked either/or closing questions, however, there was no problem.

That means, “Will you buy it today if we can work it out?” will get you a ‘No’ or ‘I’ll think it over’ almost every time. If you’ve done a good job, ask this question instead: “Bob, it sounds like we found the perfect car – are we going to register it to the company or put it in your name?” They’ll answer the question more often than not and either answer is fine, because both equal ‘OK’.

Don’t take it so hard when you hear ‘No’. Don’t drop price, just regroup and close again. When you hear ‘No’, don’t assume it’s ‘No, I don’t like you.’ They’re just saying, “Based on what you’ve told me so far, I can’t say ‘yes’ yet, tell me more and ask me again a little later.”

Tip: To make you aware of how many times you try to close, keep a handful of pennies in one pocket. Each time you ask for the order, casually move one penny to your other pocket. This reminds you to ask at least 6 times, and when you do, you’ll make more sales.