Columbo, the 1970's classic TV detective character, was one of the best closers of all time. While he wasn't employed as a sales professional or ever earned commission, he was a master closer. It wasn't getting people to sign on the bottom line that made him a great closer, it was his ability to get people to answer questions.The classic Columbo close was the line he often used after the suspects thought Columbo was done speaking to them. He would turn and start to walk away, and just when the suspect began to breathe a sign of relief, Columbo would turn and say, "just one more thing." The question or statement that followed that brief statement would always pack an incredible punch.So what can sales professionals learn from Columbo? Plenty, and it all starts with "just one more thing."When you are visiting with a customer, 9 times out of 10, the customer will have their guard up. They have dealt with hundreds of sales professionals and have, most likely, been in situations when the sales pro used hard closing techniques on them.
This experience creates a natural resistance that many feel towards sales professionals. Add to this the public perception that sales professionals will say whatever it takes to close a deal and you can understand why guards are raised during many sales calls.As soon as the customer thinks the sales call is over, she will begin to drop their guard. The doorknob technique, much like the Columbo close, saves the closing question till after the customer feels that the sales call is over. Then, when the guard is down and your hand is on their doorknob, you turn and say, "just one more thing."The thing about the Columbo or doorknob close is that the question or statement you make right after your "just one more thing" statement, needs to be powerful, effective and have pinpoint accuracy. In most cases, the customer will answer the question honestly and quickly. But once the customer realizes that they are still in a sales call, they will raise their guards again.The question you ask during this brief low guard should be one that is intended to uncover a hidden customer objective.
Once the customer answers the question, presumably with their "true" objection, you have an opportunity to speak directly to the objection. If the customer reveals that she thinks your pricing is too high, you can quickly begin negotiating or building additional value.While every sales profession is different and requires different questions and processes, there are a few Columbo closes that seem to be effective in most sales situations.Just one more thing I forgot to ask, what will your final deciding factor be in your decision?Just one more thing, what is more important to you: Low price or high value?Oh, I almost forgot to ask about when you will be making a final decision? A Final Word on ColumboThe Columbo Closing Technique is a fun method to uncover hidden customer feelings. It is amazing what people will say when they feel that they are under no pressure. But you also need to be prepared for the answer. When under pressure (whether intense or slight,) most customers will be very careful about what they say.
They present themselves to you as they want you to view them. But in that brief moment when they feel the pressure is off, what they may tell you may not be what you want to hear.If, for example, your Columbo question is something about whether or not the customer would really ever leave their current vendor, they may respond that "it would take a lot." Answers that you do not want to hear may be the exact answers that you need to hear. They may tell you that you need to work much harder at earning trust or building rapport. They may tell you that your products or pricing don't measure up to your competition. And they may tell you that you should invest your time and energy with different customers.Safe School Week will be a national observation on Oct. 19-25 — now is the time for integrators to begin preparing what they are going to do to help increase both school safety and their own firm's recognition during that week. While past years have emphasized bullying and other safety issues, this year is a good time to raise the awareness of physical security in classrooms.
Classroom security, after all, is as critical to the safety of students and staff as perimeter access into a school itself. There are a lot of ways to lock a classroom door — unfortunately, many of the tactics employed today actually put staff and students at risk. It is important for school administrators to know which methods are effective and which should be avoided. Every school should meet or exceed the baseline of classroom security for products and protocol. Of course, there are different options for implementing that baseline, depending on budget, staffing capabilities and potential risk factors —that's why your interaction is so important to school officials. When it comes to classroom security, it is imperative that teachers and staff can lock doors promptly for their protection and that of students. States are beginning to be proactive in defining what it means to provide classroom security. California, for example, established a law in 2011 (AB 211, Article 8.5) that requires classrooms and rooms with an occupant load of more than five people to be equipped with classroom security locks.
Available in both mechanical and electronic options, these locks retract via a latchbolt using a knob/lever from either side, unless the outside is locked by key from either side. When locked, the latchbolt retracts by a key outside or the knob/lever inside. An auxiliary latch deadlocks the latchbolt when the door is locked. The inside lever is always free for immediate egress., classroom security locks are ideal in the school environment because they do not impede egress. The door may be opened from the inside by simply turning the lever, even when the door is locked. The key cylinder on the inside is used to lock the outside lever only. Additionally, because a key is required to lock the door, it prevents students and others who don’t have access to the key from locking the door. This is important to classroom safety because there is actually a higher likelihood of student-on-student or student-on-teacher violence than that of an outside intruder. In addition to classroom lockdown, classroom security locks help aid in preventing disturbances in hallways from expanding to classes, improving building security during after-hours facility use, securing contents during non-school hours and providing environmental consistency throughout a building.
While classroom security locks provide the first layer of defense, they should not be the only access control tactic used and emphasized to ensure classroom safety. Here is the big problem — in an effort to do something for security, many schools have done things that are counterproductive. They have undertaken some measures that not only don’t mitigate risk, if anything, they put staff and students in greater danger. Here is where the security integrator comes into play — by becoming a school’s trusted security advisor, integrators could offer to check for such problems and explain to school officials why they are unsafe. Be on the lookout for: Additionally, this is a good time to educate the end-user on access control options and features that are available today. Inform officials on the three types of lockdown hardware — manual, remote and centralized. Most will be aware of how keys, the most economical solution, will manually lock down a room or space; however, very few will be aware of remote lockdown solutions that let them upgrade without the cost of a networked system.
They typically show interest in how a lockdown can be activated by a remote fob kept by the teacher from anywhere in the classroom. Others, already having access control software, may not understand how classroom doors can be locked down from a central location just like the perimeter doors. Integrators will also find that many school administrators don't know that security locks can include visual indicators, which provide at-a-glance verification of the locked/unlocked status of the door from inside of the classroom. They will quickly understand how, in K-12 schools, indicators also should be part of the overall security plan. With indicators on locks or exit devices,an opening can be quickly assessed — from a distance — to determine if it is locked. The convenience of visual indicators to assess a lock saves time and alleviates confusion in the event of an emergency. Regardless of a school’s available budget, there are always safety measures that can be taken to minimize threats of violence.