The sales trainer Martin Limbeck teaches what he calls hardselling. His book Das neue Hardselling has the subtitle Verkaufen heißt verkaufen – So kommen Sie zum Abschluss, selling means selling: this is how you get to the close. Its seventh edition appeared in 2023.
In 2015 his column in the financial magazine cash. ran under the headline Keine Angst vor der Abschlussfrage, no fear of the closing question. In his view, more deals are missed than closed. Der Durchschnittsverkäufer möchte auf keinen Fall ein „Nein“ von seinem potenziellen Kunden hören. The average salesperson does not want to hear a no from a potential customer at any price.
Limbeck urges salespeople to ask for the close because he sees them put the question off for fear of a no.