Improving your closing ratio

There are some basics about hitch-hiking that will improve your closing ratios. These same basics bear out in most other sales applications as well.

Appearance is a good place to start, and apparel is a good place to start regarding your appearance. Obviously a good appearance is going to help. I have actually been in situations where I’ve hitched a ride in a sport coat and tie and I know I get rides quicker than when I’m dressed in a hoodie and a watch cap!

Dressing for success doesn’t always mean wearing a suit and tie, though it does mean dressing appropriately for the occasion.

That said, fresh shirts are always a good bet. When I was hitch-hiking across the country I always had plenty of fresh polo shirts. Polo shirts hold up fairly well against wrinkles in a back-pack and the button collar has the edge over a regular crew-neck T-shirt. And when you’re walking out on the open road with the summer sun beating down while the traffic throws up debris, well, you’re going to get a little pungent so make sure you have a change or – well - four. In hitch-hiking the difference between a fresh shirt and one you’ve had on a few days can be measured in hundreds of miles! I've picked up hitchers as well as hitched, and if I catch a strong whiff as you get into my car you can bet I'm "only going to the next exit." Face it - no one’s ever going to tell you the reason you lost business was because you weren’t quite fresh, so be safe.

The next aspect of appearance, though not necessarily less important, is posture.

Your personal bearing plays a significant role in improving your closing ratio. Most salespeople have been exposed to statistics regarding the importance of first impressions and how quickly we form them. A quick look on Google generates an abundance of responses ranging from seven to twenty seconds to form an initial opinion. In that brief moment your posture can account for nearly 60% of the opinion formed. When your prospects are passing you between thirty-five and ninety-five miles an hour, believe me, first appearances count!

Early in my cross country travels I spent three hours in Santa Rosa, NM sitting by the side of the road not getting a ride. Out of boredom I got up and started walking. Oddly my closing ratio improved!

I decided I’d get a ride faster if folks could see my face, so I walked backwards.

No, follow along with me here.

Part of what provides the momentum that carries us forward when we walk is leaning toward our goal. We lean forward and as our bodies begin to fall we take a stride which stops us from falling and carries us forward. Then all you have to do is keep leaning forward and stopping your fall with alternating feet and, viola! You’re walking!

Walking backwards causes one to lean back. You start to fall back and you stick a leg behind you and…well, you get the idea.

Here’s the fun part. When you lean back you actually stand taller! So, here I am, walking backwards with my thumb out and standing taller.

And several things begin to kick into place. First, as many salespeople know, your attitude will be a result of your physicality. This was explored by a couple of scholars in the 19th century, William James and Carl Lange. In short form the James-Lange Theory states that our emotions stem from our physical actions. While it seems logical that when we sense a threat and feel fear we run, the James-Lange Theory suggests that if we act fearfully (running away) we will subsequently feel fear and, conversely, if we act courageously (standing tall) we will begin to feel courage. This is sometimes referred to as the “Fake it ‘til you make it” model.

So I’m standing taller and I actually begin to feel more confident.

My closing ratio improves. I was in my twenties at the time with no idea I’d be putting this into a book in the next century so I didn’t keep records and I have no statistical verification. Significant anecdotal evidence makes me confident with the results of my inquiry.

Then I took the next step in improving my appearance. I thought to myself “If I’m walking backwards so folks can see my face, maybe I should look friendly.” I started to smile. Remembering the James-Lange Theory we can presume this made me happier, more positive.

Slip into the driver’s seat for a moment, won’t you? After all, what salesperson hasn’t learned something by being the customer?

Now I was really having fun. And seeing the aproaching drivers let me "qualify" them as prospects. Car too full? "That's O.K!" I'd say and wave at you as you went by. Kids? "Hey, I wouldn't pick up a stranger if I had kids!" and I'd be waving.

And while I was waving at the car that just passed, someone else was coming down the road watching friendly ol' me waving at the people who were passing by.

Imagine yourself going down the highway. Imagine you’re a little tired, it’s been a long haul and you’re beginning to think of strategies to keep you awake and alive. Up ahead you see someone hitch-hiking.

He's sitting on his suit-case under an overpass. His thumb is barely suspended above the road-bed and he’s looking hot, tired and dejected. Probably a little ripe too. Someone you’d like for company? Not me.

The next hitcher is walking with down the road with his left hand out at about seven o’clock. He’s headed the same way you are. He’s slumped forward as he walks and you can’t see his face. “Hmmmmm…” you think.

But by then you’ve passed him and there’s really no sense in stopping now.

Then, just as you stifle a yawn and open the window to let in a blast of air, you see another hitch-hiker just ahead. He’s facing you and walking backward, his right thumb is at eight, if not nine or ten o’clock, and (you probably didn't consciously register it but he's got a collared shirt) he’s got a smile on his face! He even waves at you as you approach!

Would you be more likely to pick this guy up? I sure hope so! I need a ride!

In fact, after three hours of sitting by the road that day in Santa Rosa, almost as soon as I started walking backwards I got the chance to drive that late model sedan I mentioned in an earlier post.

While it’s true some folks might not pick up the crazy looking, backwards walking galoot with the silly grin and the goofy wave, here’s the thing; I’m betting they wouldn’t have picked up the first two hitchers either!

You, on the other hand are not afraid of risk, and besides, somebody to talk to would help keep you awake. After all, you’re a salesperson; you love to talk to strangers!

The first time anyone ever told me about the instantaneous, sub-conscious judgements we make was at about ten p.m. on a Pennsylvania turn-pike in the mid-eighties. The rain had been coming down cats and dogs for hours and I was soaked through by the side of the road. But I was smiling at everybody who passed by. Smiling and waving my bright white cowboy hat, doing everything I could to be seen, and to be seen happy. The guy that stopped his van was a factory sales rep for GMC and he was coming back from a weekend vacation - pulling his motorboat. He pulled van and boat out of freeway traffic - in the rain! Later, when I asked him if he could tell I was smiling and waving he said he hadn't noticed - and then he told me about snap judgements. And then he offered to let me spend the night in his spare bedroom. I'm telling you, this stuff works!