Introduction

Over the years, I’ve read volumes of books and articles on sales from the likes of Jeffrey Gitomer, Zig Ziglar, Chet Holmes, Grant Cardone, Brian Tracy, Tom Hopkins, and many others. I’ve also undergone extensive training through the Sandler Sales Institute for over a year. All of this doesn’t include the podcast episodes and YouTube videos I’ve consumed in my efforts to continually learn and understand sales on a deeper level.

Not a reader? Not a problem. Listen to the podcast episode instead.

But today, I want to share a sales framework I learned more recently from Alex Hormozi, who continues to impress me and the rest of the entrepreneurial world with his accomplishments and prodigious level of talent. If you don’t know who Alex is, this must change.

Alex is a first-generation Iranian-American entrepreneur. He has scaled and exited seven companies. His most notable exit was his majority sale of his licensing company for $46.2M in 2021. And oh yeah, he’s written a couple of books, $100M Offers, and $100M Leads (both of which I’d highly recommend promoting to the top of your priority reading list) that have collectively received over 23,000 5-star reviews on Amazon as of the time of this writing.

All of this introductory setup is to compel you to pay attention to the rest of this article. If you learn and apply this C.L.O.S.E.R. framework that Hormozi has engineered, you will close more deals and increase your sales.

‘Selling is a transference of belief over a bridge of trust. Therefore, ‘you’ cannot sell unless ‘you’ believe. And ‘they’ will not buy unless they believe YOU.

Alex Hormozi

How To Use The C.L.O.S.E.R. Framework To Drastically Increase Sales Conversions

Hormozi’s C.L.O.S.E.R. sales framework is a tool you can learn and install for every team rep. It should be taught and enforced via an internal policy. You don’t want your sales team ‘winging’ it based on their personalities and individual sales styles. You need and want a systematized approach that works time and time again. As you’ve likely already concluded, C.L.O.S.E.R. is an acronym that walks you through a repeatable 6-step process.

(C) Clarify.

The first step in every sales interaction is clarifying why the prospect is on the call or in the meeting. They decided to hop on a call. Why? Prospects always claim that they’re just looking for information. But this isn’t the whole truth. They’re not just hopping onto random calls and collecting volumes of information. No!

They’ve willfully volunteered to join you on a sales call because they have a problem and want a solution. It’s your job to extract the problem(s) they’re experiencing and that they’ve experienced in the past. Without a problem, there will be no sale.

(L) Label.

This is when you want to label (aka restate) what the prospect said about their problem(s). (e.g., ‘So to be clear, you’re not at the weight you want to be for your daughter’s big wedding day?’ (or) ‘So, to make sure I understand, you’re not getting enough leads for your business month after month?’)

This is your opportunity to restate (a.k.a. label) their problems, let them know that you understand what they’ve said, and demonstrate genuine (not artificial) empathy towards their pain and situation.

(O) Overview.

Be sure to overview their past experiences. (aka the pain cycle) Some questions you should consider asking would be…

  1. ‘What have you tried so far?’
  2. ‘What did you like about it?’
  3. What did you not like about it?’

PRO TIP 1: Be sure to exhaust absolutely all of their pain.

PRO TIP 2: Be sure to include all of their listed pains in your final pitch.

Prospects do not buy if they have no pain. It’s your job to bring that pain to the surface so they’ll move away from the status quo and move towards a solution that your product or service provides.

SPECIAL NOTE: If your business has both setters and closers on your sales team, this is where the setter would stop the discussion and set up a second meeting with a closer on your team.

(S) Sell the vacation.

[This is precisely where you pitch your offer and give them a call to action.] Sell the vacation, not the plane flight. Most sales reps make the mistake of selling the widgets and the features of their products and services instead of focusing on selling the destination. They talk about (metaphorically speaking) TSA, checking their bag and taking their shoes off, who they will sit next to on the plane, and how long the flight will be.

But people just want Maui! So it’s essential that you describe the beach and the ocean and what they will experience the moment they get to that hotel room, open the drapes, and experience that beautiful ocean full of white waves cresting and crashing into the stunningly white sandy beach. Sell them the destination by forecasting the climactic scene they’ll experience once your product or service has made their life better by eradicating their problem.

(E) Explain away their concerns.

Most prospects you speak to are going to say no at first. And even those who say yes will immediately start doubting their decision. This is the time to start explaining away their potential concerns, whether or not they’ve vocalized them to you specifically.

  • Did I just make a mistake?
  • Will this even work?
  • Will they meet their promises?
  • How long will this take?
  • Do they really understand my specific business problem?

You’ll discover that most people’s fears or concerns will fall into one of three different buckets.

  1. People who are upset at the universe. (e.g., circumstances, time, money — So if someone says no, and they say time, money, this isn’t the perfect fit for me, etc. All of those are circumstantial and they’re the easiest thing to say. And that’s the first thing they’ll say when they say no.)
  2. People who are upset with other people. (e.g., blame their kids, coworkers, a partner, or another decision-maker — The second level underneath that is other people. They’re just upset and have distorted views about the universe. Everything’s unfair. Nothing goes my way. The next level is because of [insert person], the blame finger goes out. My kids, my husband, my coworkers, my mom, whatever it is, won’t let me do this thing.)
  3. People who are upset with themselves. (e.g., They have their own fears to overcome, and/or they’re concerned about their own potential for failure in the process.)

(R) Reinforce their decision.

Once your prospect says yes, the next 24 to 72 hours must be carefully choreographed. This is your opportunity to turn a new client into a raving fan or a nervous Nancy.  Your team should likely be sending out email notifications, SMS messages, and/or physical goods like swag at an accelerated tempo and cadence. This is your only chance to make a great first impression with your new customer.

‘There are many reasons why customers leave. But the main reason is that businesses systematically ignore the emotional journey of the customer.’

Joey Coleman

In Joey Coleman’s ‘Never Lost A Customer Again – Turn Any Sale Into Lifelong Loyalty In 100 Days’, he repeatedly shares how vulnerable and at risk your relationship is with your new prospect within the first 3 months or so and how to make sure you leverage every opportunity to gain maximum traction with your new client, rather than losing steam and momentum in your relationship.

Summary

Sales and marketing are no different than any other segment of your business. They both require the use and mastery of systems and processes. I wish I could take the credit for the C.L.O.S.E.R. sales framework, but I can’t. Alex Hormozi gets all the props. And he’s entitled to every bit of the credit that goes his way.

Everything we do here at Whatbox Digital, from our products, technology, and services to our free content, like podcast episodes, downloadable resources, and blog articles, is solely to provide you with maximum value so you can grow your business smarter and faster. Time is money. And we’re here to save you as much time as possible while you’re making as much income and profits as possible.

About the author.

Brian Webb is a 22-year entrepreneur, private investor, business & profit growth mentor, a B2B marketer, and the host of the Business Growth Show podcast.

In addition to managing a growing portfolio of businesses, Brian is the CEO of the award-winning marketing and business growth consulting agency in The Woodlands, Texas (Greater Houston Metroplex), Whatbox Digital, LLC.

You can find Brian on Apple, Google, Spotify, Pandora, iHeartRadio, and Amazon. Brian’s writings have been published and featured on NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX, and MarketWatch, and has been approved as a Forbes Business Council member and content contributor.

You may also recognize some of Brian’s anchor clients like Coca-Cola, Comcast, Coldwell Banker, Entrepreneur’s Organization, Hospital Corp of America, and Karbach Brewing, to name a few.

Introduction

Over the years, I’ve read volumes of books and articles on sales from the likes of Jeffrey Gitomer, Zig Ziglar, Chet Holmes, Grant Cardone, Brian Tracy, Tom Hopkins, and many others. I’ve also undergone extensive training through the Sandler Sales Institute for over a year. All of this doesn’t include the podcast episodes and YouTube videos I’ve consumed in my efforts to continually learn and understand sales on a deeper level.

Not a reader? Not a problem. Listen to the podcast episode instead.

But today, I want to share a sales framework I learned more recently from Alex Hormozi, who continues to impress me and the rest of the entrepreneurial world with his accomplishments and prodigious level of talent. If you don’t know who Alex is, this must change.

Alex is a first-generation Iranian-American entrepreneur. He has scaled and exited seven companies. His most notable exit was his majority sale of his licensing company for $46.2M in 2021. And oh yeah, he’s written a couple of books, $100M Offers, and $100M Leads (both of which I’d highly recommend promoting to the top of your priority reading list) that have collectively received over 23,000 5-star reviews on Amazon as of the time of this writing.

All of this introductory setup is to compel you to pay attention to the rest of this article. If you learn and apply this C.L.O.S.E.R. framework that Hormozi has engineered, you will close more deals and increase your sales.

‘Selling is a transference of belief over a bridge of trust. Therefore, ‘you’ cannot sell unless ‘you’ believe. And ‘they’ will not buy unless they believe YOU.

Alex Hormozi

How To Use The C.L.O.S.E.R. Framework To Drastically Increase Sales Conversions

Hormozi’s C.L.O.S.E.R. sales framework is a tool you can learn and install for every team rep. It should be taught and enforced via an internal policy. You don’t want your sales team ‘winging’ it based on their personalities and individual sales styles. You need and want a systematized approach that works time and time again. As you’ve likely already concluded, C.L.O.S.E.R. is an acronym that walks you through a repeatable 6-step process.

(C) Clarify.

The first step in every sales interaction is clarifying why the prospect is on the call or in the meeting. They decided to hop on a call. Why? Prospects always claim that they’re just looking for information. But this isn’t the whole truth. They’re not just hopping onto random calls and collecting volumes of information. No!

They’ve willfully volunteered to join you on a sales call because they have a problem and want a solution. It’s your job to extract the problem(s) they’re experiencing and that they’ve experienced in the past. Without a problem, there will be no sale.

(L) Label.

This is when you want to label (aka restate) what the prospect said about their problem(s). (e.g., ‘So to be clear, you’re not at the weight you want to be for your daughter’s big wedding day?’ (or) ‘So, to make sure I understand, you’re not getting enough leads for your business month after month?’)

This is your opportunity to restate (a.k.a. label) their problems, let them know that you understand what they’ve said, and demonstrate genuine (not artificial) empathy towards their pain and situation.

(O) Overview.

Be sure to overview their past experiences. (aka the pain cycle) Some questions you should consider asking would be…

  1. ‘What have you tried so far?’
  2. ‘What did you like about it?’
  3. What did you not like about it?’

PRO TIP 1: Be sure to exhaust absolutely all of their pain.

PRO TIP 2: Be sure to include all of their listed pains in your final pitch.

Prospects do not buy if they have no pain. It’s your job to bring that pain to the surface so they’ll move away from the status quo and move towards a solution that your product or service provides.

SPECIAL NOTE: If your business has both setters and closers on your sales team, this is where the setter would stop the discussion and set up a second meeting with a closer on your team.

(S) Sell the vacation.

[This is precisely where you pitch your offer and give them a call to action.] Sell the vacation, not the plane flight. Most sales reps make the mistake of selling the widgets and the features of their products and services instead of focusing on selling the destination. They talk about (metaphorically speaking) TSA, checking their bag and taking their shoes off, who they will sit next to on the plane, and how long the flight will be.

But people just want Maui! So it’s essential that you describe the beach and the ocean and what they will experience the moment they get to that hotel room, open the drapes, and experience that beautiful ocean full of white waves cresting and crashing into the stunningly white sandy beach. Sell them the destination by forecasting the climactic scene they’ll experience once your product or service has made their life better by eradicating their problem.

(E) Explain away their concerns.

Most prospects you speak to are going to say no at first. And even those who say yes will immediately start doubting their decision. This is the time to start explaining away their potential concerns, whether or not they’ve vocalized them to you specifically.

  • Did I just make a mistake?
  • Will this even work?
  • Will they meet their promises?
  • How long will this take?
  • Do they really understand my specific business problem?

You’ll discover that most people’s fears or concerns will fall into one of three different buckets.

  1. People who are upset at the universe. (e.g., circumstances, time, money — So if someone says no, and they say time, money, this isn’t the perfect fit for me, etc. All of those are circumstantial and they’re the easiest thing to say. And that’s the first thing they’ll say when they say no.)
  2. People who are upset with other people. (e.g., blame their kids, coworkers, a partner, or another decision-maker — The second level underneath that is other people. They’re just upset and have distorted views about the universe. Everything’s unfair. Nothing goes my way. The next level is because of [insert person], the blame finger goes out. My kids, my husband, my coworkers, my mom, whatever it is, won’t let me do this thing.)
  3. People who are upset with themselves. (e.g., They have their own fears to overcome, and/or they’re concerned about their own potential for failure in the process.)

(R) Reinforce their decision.

Once your prospect says yes, the next 24 to 72 hours must be carefully choreographed. This is your opportunity to turn a new client into a raving fan or a nervous Nancy.  Your team should likely be sending out email notifications, SMS messages, and/or physical goods like swag at an accelerated tempo and cadence. This is your only chance to make a great first impression with your new customer.

‘There are many reasons why customers leave. But the main reason is that businesses systematically ignore the emotional journey of the customer.’

Joey Coleman

In Joey Coleman’s ‘Never Lost A Customer Again – Turn Any Sale Into Lifelong Loyalty In 100 Days’, he repeatedly shares how vulnerable and at risk your relationship is with your new prospect within the first 3 months or so and how to make sure you leverage every opportunity to gain maximum traction with your new client, rather than losing steam and momentum in your relationship.

Summary

Sales and marketing are no different than any other segment of your business. They both require the use and mastery of systems and processes. I wish I could take the credit for the C.L.O.S.E.R. sales framework, but I can’t. Alex Hormozi gets all the props. And he’s entitled to every bit of the credit that goes his way.

Everything we do here at Whatbox Digital, from our products, technology, and services to our free content, like podcast episodes, downloadable resources, and blog articles, is solely to provide you with maximum value so you can grow your business smarter and faster. Time is money. And we’re here to save you as much time as possible while you’re making as much income and profits as possible.

About the author.

Brian Webb is a 22-year entrepreneur, private investor, business & profit growth mentor, a B2B marketer, and the host of the Business Growth Show podcast.

In addition to managing a growing portfolio of businesses, Brian is the CEO of the award-winning marketing and business growth consulting agency in The Woodlands, Texas (Greater Houston Metroplex), Whatbox Digital, LLC.

You can find Brian on Apple, Google, Spotify, Pandora, iHeartRadio, and Amazon. Brian’s writings have been published and featured on NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX, and MarketWatch, and has been approved as a Forbes Business Council member and content contributor.

You may also recognize some of Brian’s anchor clients like Coca-Cola, Comcast, Coldwell Banker, Entrepreneur’s Organization, Hospital Corp of America, and Karbach Brewing, to name a few.