Making the Close

We conclude the year with the end of our series on Selling Yourself as a Single – making the close. Good salespeople will tell you that making the sale is often dependent on the strength of the close. The critical points to remember are to be clear, be sincere, and be persistent.

It’s important to be clear about what you’re asking for. Singles often lack confidence and stumble around, afraid to be direct with their invitation. Remember the episode on Fraser where he never made it clear he wanted to share a room with the woman he invited to the cabin for the weekend? It made for great humor, but poor salesmanship!

Sometimes singles don’t know how to handle situations and end up lacking sincerity. Don’t say you’ll call when you won’t. If you make a date, keep it! Bear in mind that while you may not be right for her, you might be perfect for her best friend.

Finally, be persistent (but appropriate). My first boyfriend asked me out three times before I said yes. More recently, if you’ve read my book you may recall that Roger called me the next day after I tried to break it off with him and offered to take me to see Wayne Brady. Being a huge Brady fan, I agreed and that date was the pivot one in our relationship. One note of caution, however: you need to pay attention for when to let it go. Roger had asked me if he could still call me, keeping the door open. As I mentioned last time, identifying the objections will help you know if persistence is called for or if you really should move on.

Single people are salespeople – we all are. Identify someone you know who sells well and do what they do to get that next relationship started.