Always Be Closing - ABC

You've seen the poster of the cat hanging onto the shower curtain that says, "hang in there." ABC, or always be closing, is the analog for the modern-day, real-life office, at least in a Death of a Salesman kind of way.

It's the adage a manager constantly repeats to the junior salespeople...very helpful (if obvious) advice of suggesting that they should "always be trying to close a sale." The general idea is that everything you do with regard to a customer should be done with an eye to closing the deal.

This notion has proven to be extremely helpful, sort of in the vein of test prep advisors who suggest test takers get a good night's sleep before the exam, not show up hung over, and eat a balanced breakfast before the test. If you've ever seen the movie Glengarry Glen Ross, you've heard the "always be closing" thing (maybe too much, depending on your stomach for obscenity-laced staccato dialogue). We have an analogous saying at Shmoop, which we deem equally helpful: don't trip over your shoelaces.