Certainty—The Ultimate Closing Tool

Certainty—The Ultimate Closing Tool

We are all selling something. Talking with a customer? You’re selling, of course. Meeting with a business partner to consider staffing changes? You’re selling. Have you ever tried to sell someone on helping you with an idea or tried to sell the CFO on funding your team’s project? All sorts of factors can enter into a decision on whether to buy a certain product or support a particular idea. Uncertainty is a powerful tool that can be used to open the door to a sale; there is nothing better than a confused potential customer. But one thing is a certain deal killer—someone who remains uncertain at the end of the selling process. If someone is uncertain, they won’t say yes, they’ll say they have to think about it or get another opinion. They won’t write you a big check, and in one way or another, they will hesitate to take action.

That makes certainty perhaps the most powerful tool with which to close a sale, be it the sale of a car on a showroom lot or convincing a superior to revamp your organization’s marketing strategy.

Nothing ensures certainty more than an anticipatory attention to future facts.

Opinion Isn’t Enough

Unfortunately, far too often, many people’s efforts at persuasion are based on opinions—an “I just think this is best” sort of approach. However strong your case may be, leveraging opinions to win others over can be an exercise in frustration. If nothing else, they may say to themselves, that’s one opinion. I should get some others before making a decision.

As an alternative, consider using something far more reliable and persuasive—future facts. For example, if you’re crafting a product geared to millennials, there’s no arguing the fact that every millennial on earth is getting older and, as a result, will most likely undergo a change of interests, attitudes and needs over time. What those interests and attitudes may be is open to debate, but the reality that millennials are, indeed, getting older, is an absolute certainty. That builds a solid foundation for you to anticipate future needs and craft solutions that will be in high demand.

Future Facts

Phrased within the context of my Anticipatory Organization Model, future facts can also be referred to as Hard Trends. These are based on future certainties, facts that are not open to debate or dispute. For example, will technology assume a greater role in our everyday lives in the future? That’s an absolute truth, a Hard Trend that pushes any discussion past the point of debate.

If you use Hard Trend certainties to support your objective, point of view or opinion, the high level of confidence this produces will naturally place you in a position of influence and advantage. Unlike offering opinions, a Hard Trend is a certainty that can’t be disputed. When you hear a future truth, you know it. You don’t need to read a white paper on the subject to understand and agree with it. That, in and of itself, is a compelling and persuasive form of leverage that naturally opens up another person to consider your product or ideas in a favorable, welcoming light.

Add to That: Anticipation

With the power of Hard Trends in mind, move the concept forward by being anticipatory. For instance, consider what Hard Trends—future facts—are going to impact someone else prior to meeting with him or her. If you were to sound it out, it might be something such as: “What are the Hard Trends that willimpact the person, group or company I’m selling to?” Then, use your list of future facts to support the solution you are selling. Next, ask, “How can I help address any challenge or issue that this person may be experiencing now or in the future?” As a result, you go into a conversation ready to talk about the future your customer will be experiencing in an insightful way, all framed in the context of helping the other person. That, too, can push you closer to a successful outcome.

Ultimately, you have shifted your role beyond selling someone on something to that of a trusted advisor who is taking a consultative approach that is focused on the customer’s best interests.

Watch the Reaction

Watch the reaction to Daniel Burrus’ Recent Keynote presentation.

Daniel Burrus has over three decades of being right about where things are going, which is evidenced by his long and diverse list of repeat clients. Daniel has worked with leaders from Fortune 500 companies, the Pentagon, and heads of State-delivering powerful insights and actionable strategies.

A ‘must-hear’ presentation.

Steven A. Ballmer, CEO, Microsoft

Your thoughts on how to create an opportunity for change through a customer focus is the excellence our team is striving for. The framework you provided on innovation, creativity and customer value will be instituted as a management practiceto enable the technology infrastructure group to take Wells Fargo to the next stage.

Victor Nichols, Wells Fargo

By applying Daniel Burrus’ principles to our business, in less than a year we have been able to double our revenues and increase the value of our company by a factor of four, and we feel the biggest impact is yet to come.

Arni Bellini, CEO, ConnectWise

Recent Work

Recent Work

When IBM launched IBM Global Business Services with their top 40 industry experts to plan a game‑changing future for IBM, the only outside resource they used was Daniel Burrus. (The meeting was a great success, and he has continued to work with IBM).

When Vodafone launched its Global Mobile Enterprise service to Fortune 200 companies, they chose Daniel Burrus to deliver the message to C-level Executives in multiple national events.

When Deloitte gathered leaders from China and SE Asia for a major forecasting event, they chose Daniel Burrus. (Based on the success of that event, Deloitte has changed their industry-forecasting model to incorporate Burrus’ Hard-Trend methodology.

A Master at Tailoring Presentations

A master at tailoring his presentations to the specific needs of your audience, Daniel is a futurist keynote speaker who identifies game-changing trends and strategies to help you:

  • Empower audiences to take positive action.
  • Separate the Hard Trends that will happen from the Soft Trends than might happen
  • Learn which current and emerging technologies will have the biggest impact on your industry.
  • Learn how to creatively apply these technologies to create strategic value and competitive advantage.
  • Anticipate Disruptions, Problems, Customer Needs and New Opportunities
  • Learn how to leverage the skills and talents within your organization in new ways.
  • Learn how to use new tools to change the rules of your industry with honesty and integrity.
  • Learn powerful personal strategies for shaping your future.
Daniel Burrus’ Speaking Accolades

Daniel Burrus’ Accolades

  • The New York Times named Daniel as one of the top three gurus in the highest demand as a speaker.
  • One of the Top 21 Speakers For the 21st Century by Successful Meetings Magazine.
  • He has been voted by his peers and clients as one of the Top Five Futurists and Technology Speakers every year since the award program started.
  • A member of the Professional Speakers Hall of Fame.
  • He has delivered over 2,700 keynote speeches on six continents to audiences from 25 to 12,000.