The Perfect Close: The Secret to Closing Sales - the Best Selling Practices & Techniques for Closing the Deal

I was reading this book on my Kindle, curled up in my favorite relaxing reading spot, and literally jumped up and ran to my computer so I could take notes - lots of notes. The bookmarks just weren't good enough! I wanted a way to find all the high points and examples quickly so I could put them to use!I can't remember having ever been this excited about a book! The Perfect Close is brilliant - and I can't wait to put its techniques to use. Considering I read it over the Christmas holidays (Can you believe that?), I couldn't put the darn book down until I had read the last page).Here's the scoop:Muir's "Perfect Close" technique is simple and brilliant, especially since he provides quite a few variations and examples. And that would have been enough for 5+ stars for the book. But he doesn't stop there! He also guides us through the entire sales process to a successful close, in great detail.This includes how to create a solid relationship with the prospective client and bring true value to any sales encounter, complete with approaching any sales encounter with the right mindset and the right kind of preparation! He even shares a powerful pose that will help you signal that you do indeed have the right mindset!Another thing I really liked: Muir is so encouraging towards people who are relatively new to sales (including me) - and provides many examples of how they can succeed - and do so easily. This is something that really differentiates his book from many other books on sales and closing.It's also a book (as some reviewers have noted) that's written primarily for B2B sales people, especially those selling to large companies, but much of the information applies just as much to entrepreneurs selling their products and services to smaller companies and fellow entrepreneurs - and even individuals. I'm going to recommend this book to anyone I know who's in sales.While reading this book, I cringed at the mistakes I have made. But I also got really excited as I realized it showed me exactly how to do MUCH better in the future. It's a total game changer!One tiny drawback... The book is much longer than I had anticipated. If I had seen that it was 300 pages long, I wouldn't have bought the Kindle version (long books can be kind of unwieldy on Kindle, especially if they're kind of technical and there's a LOT of detail I want to have at my fingertips). Needless to say, I didn't know, and I'm so glad I bought it and have the information NOW! I just kept wondering why it took so long to get through it... and I'll probably buy the physical version as well for easier access.

James Muir has set the tone with his book, The Perfect Close. What is amazing about this book, is that is one of those books that can used adapted, and implemented by anyone at any level of their sales ability and experience. If you are new to sales, get this book!! If you're a journeyman, or at the top of the profession you will benefit from the lessons learned and implemented in The Prefect Close. James Muir, lays out a very easy tp follow map of the process from the beginning of the sales process, the how to of prepping for meetings, asks the right questions like, why should the client see me or how am I going to add value to this call. He also gives you permission to skip the first 8 chapters (I didn't) and go right for the close sequence. The book is brilliant in its simplicity, which makes it so easy to follow. You will have to do your homework as James gives us exercises, forms to fill out and brain storming sessions. This all adds to the implementation of the concepts of the prefect close. I really love the questions to ask yourself before the call, the explanation of how to give or add value, and the difference between a continuation and an advance. I actually have done most of what James writes about in the book, how ever he has formulated what I do and gave to some serious Kick, to take concepts to new levels.The chapters of this book end with a review of the chapter. I do recommend reading the 'closing secrets' after the chapter, writing them down and reading them again before moving on to the next chapter or when you pick up the book again to continue reading it. The last chapter I found to be the most helpful as it summarizes the lessons in the book and clearly explains how to follow them. Listen to James and start using the steps immediately to further enhance your understand one of this book and how to use the content in your everyday sales activities. You will find more info and more material free on James's Website, so no excuses, get the book and take your career up a notch or two.

I listened to the audiobook and am now going back through the digital version to take notes. [Side note: The audiobook is great - I appreciate that James was the narrator, and I felt like this was a perfect book to do in audio). I've been in sales for 6+ years (both B2C and B2B) and read an average of 1-2 books per week, and this was hands down the most helpful book on closing that I've come across. In fairness to Anthony Iannarino (which is how I heard about James Muir) I haven't read The Lost Art of Closing yet, so I might have to retract that statement...but James has set an exceptionally high bar.The closing method that James describes is deceptively simple. I won't ruin it by discussing here, but suffice to say I've been using the method almost daily since finishing the book and it's been powerful. Understanding the difference between rejecting an action vs. rejecting the TIMING of an action has upped my sales game significantly (read the book to understand what I mean).The thing I love most about the method? There isn't even a HINT of manipulation, coercion, sliminess, or any of the other usual B.S. that's associated with books on closing. It's very refreshing to read a book on closing that starts with the premise that buyers are smart, thoughtful professionals who deserve respect and transparency. What a novel concept!Great work, James Muir!

I'm starting I was thinking it is creating over hype about perfect close but trust me it was damn Right.I love this book and It is on my Golden Shelf.......

What I liked most about the book, The Perfect Close, is the practical, simple, and clear strategies the author presents to close sales.Not only are you reading a book by a legitimate thought leader and master of his craft who has put in his dues and succeeded with the approaches he offers, he seems to have read countless contemporary and classic books on his topic and complimentary subject matters. This level of understanding of his profession and human nature adds subtle layers of expertise to demonstrate why and how these sales steps work so effectively.This is far more than just a how-to book on sales. It’s a master’s class in sales, persuasion with integrity, psychology, and the power of a positive, rational mindset.It provides a point-by-point guide for what you can do to advance your sales to closure. It’s hard to put a price on how valuable the wisdom in this book is. If someone said, I can save you years of making painful professional mistakes by reading and applying what it says in a single book that will take you a few hours to read, would you believe them? Well, this is THAT book! I’m recommending it to every friend or colleague who sells for a living.This is a sales book written by an expert in his field, who has walked the talk at all levels of sales. He weaves anecdotes – both successes and early mistakes, well-researched, science-backed data, relevant and succinct examples and tactics, both that he has experimented with and mastered, into an easy-to-read, enormously practical how-to book on sales. Every line has a purpose and a point. There are no wasted words. The free resources are superbly useful and well designed and could be a course in themselves.One of the themes that came out of this book for me is to focus on the audience’s needs, not your own self-serving agenda. There is one personal story the author, James Muir reveals that really moved me as a father and served to shift my mindset and perception of the sales process from an interaction that is transactional to transformative – for your client.What also makes this book different is that the writing style is engaging, warm, transparent, humble yet confident, flawlessly edited, well-structured and the style and intent matches the content.It gave me practical ways to apply the information to my professional talks in which I have experimented and struggled with finding a way to offer 1:1 analysis and group consulting at the end of my keynotes. It also occurred to me that the strategies offered in how to set agendas for meetings would work well to help me guide my students in planning fundraising drives.I’m going to do the following differently: I recently was asked for an opening plan and quote to give a keynote/facilitate a conference at a college. I was unsure of the approach as the organizer gave me few details. I was also reluctant to set up a phone call directly with the college’s rep. because I didn’t know what questions to ask or how to proceed, in terms of selling my services. I feel confident now that I have a solid and effective plan for the next offer I receive to do a talk, thanks to the author’s step-by-step approach laid out in, “The Perfect Close”.

First off, I'm a lazy salesman so I don't normally bother with reviews. Second, rather than read the book through and review it, I cut to the chase, read the meat of the principle and started putting it to work right away.I'm so lazy that I use the phone to close clients rather than visit unless I have to.I have to say that I have closed some great deals already and used the techniques outlined to progress tricky negotiations further without risking losing them.I would go as far to say that if you have anything whatsoever to do with sales or even customer servce/ retention, then this book will be the best investment you will make in a long time.The closing technique is so simple and effective, it's ridiculous and can be learned and deployed immediately. I burst out laughing everytime I put the phone down after using this and I think you will too. It's so clever.A definite 5 ***** buy and my thanks to James Muir for publishing this.

I read a *lot* of sales books and don't recommend many but this book is exceptional! If you only read chapters 8 (advances) and 12(closing) you will have learnt more than a library of sales books. There are other books that go into more detail on prospecting and strategy but if you want to know how to CLOSE a deal with integrity, this is the book. Well done James.

I was introduced to James through one of my sales podcasts that I listen to. On it he was talking about his new book "The Perfect Close", and both the value that he brought to the show and the methodology around the perfect close put his book on my radar. I have been in business development for a while now and I wish I read this book at the start of my career. The book is well beyond your typical "closing" book, it covers everything from mindset, planning, what an advance is to setting call objectives. That is above and beyond going through "The Perfect Close", which is easily the most natural and effective technique I have seen and used. Just when I thought I had squeezed all the value out of this book, I got to the "Final Word". I have to say that this last chapter is the hidden gem in the whole book. So much so, I read it twice.Needless to say I am a huge fan of this book, and I believe that every person who is client facing should read it. James, thank you for sharing this wisdom with "sales nation" and I look forward to hearing more from you.Michael Hardie