CLOSER – Sales Framework

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In the business world, sales are regarded as King. If a business isn’t making sales, it isn’t staying in the green, and Alex Hormozi CLOSER Sales Framework is a great method to get sales while providing value.

However, we know there can be two very different experiences with sales.

You can have an experience with a sleazy snake-oil salesperson or the much more positive experience of someone who could sell ice to an Eskimo.

The difference is how well the salespeople understand our problems, our constraints, and our emotions.

We must come from a generous place (like Seth Godin talks about in This Is Marketing, read my summary here) when trying to sell a product. Where we genuinely believe that by buying our product someone’s life will be improved.

If we try to sell a product or service that is not truly great and will not improve someone’s life, we are cheating them.

Assuming we have an excellent product for the correct market, then selling well comes down to having a winning strategy. Alex Hormozi outlined the most straightforward version of this I have heard. He has discussed this in many of his Youtube videos (explicit warning).

Note: if you enjoy Alex’s approach, he has much more detail about making a compelling offer in his book $100M offers for only $0.99. You can read the book summary here.

Alex outlines his C.L.O.S.E.R. framework as follows.

C.L.O.S.E.R.

C for Clarify

Clarify why the client is there and why they want your help. This is key to making sure you are both on the same page so that you are not trying to solve the wrong problem.

L for Label

Label the problem. Labeling the problem is key to making it less abstract and the solution clearer. The client needs to admit the problem they have as you cannot help solve someone else’s problem until they admit they have one.

O for Overview

Overview their history and past experiences. Seldom will this be the first time someone has tried to solve their problem. Find out what they have already tried and what has and hasn’t worked. Make sure you repeat back their experiences, so they feel heard and to ensure you are actually listening to their problem. Avoid repeating the same failures that the client has already had.

S for Sell the vacation

Sell them the results that they will get. Show them where they will be, not the journey but the destination. This is why the client came to see you, they are looking for results, but often their vision of those results is blurry. Don’t dive into the details, as the details sound like work. Instead, share the story of what they will get.

E for Explain

Explain away their concerns. This step is getting past their no’s and reasons for not purchasing. It can be uncomfortable to hear someone’s objections, but there are typically valid concerns. Going through this step helps you reassure the client that you have a solution for them and makes them feel heard and better-taken care of. It also allows you to pay extra attention to their worries and ensure their concerns are taken care of.

R for Reinforce

Reinforce their decision. When someone buys something, they immediately start questioning if they made the right decision. Did they buy the right product or service? Or did they waste money? You want to reinforce the decision they made so they feel good about themself and their purchase. This happens not only at the initial sale. Every interaction they have with you or the product acts as reinforcement to continue using it, or if it isn’t good, to stop using it.

People decide within the first 48hrs from point of sale whether they will buy again from your company.

Alex Hormozi