I was saddened to hear of the passing of Peter Faulk. His character Columbo was one of the greatest in TV history. I was turned on to his early 70’s show through late night reruns during college. Everyone was obligated to do their best Columbo impersonation.

Columbo was a “dumb like a fox” murder detective. During an interview, he would use a great technique to obtain more information from a suspect. At the end of the interview, he would announce that he was leaving the
room. The suspect would become disarmed and let their guard down. As he put his hand on the door knob to open the door, he would spin around and hold his other hand out and say “Just one more thing” as if something had just come to his mind. He would then ask a final question that he could not get answered earlier in the interview. Since the suspect’s guard was down, they would usually provide an answer that would give away a clue that
would lead to their guilt. Columbo was no fool; he always knew what he was doing.

This Columbo close has been replicated in the sales world for years. Now if you make your living in real estate – you are in sales. Here is how it works. Let’s say you are with a prospect attempting to get a listing or buy their house. You have explained all the benefits of working with you, and how you are the person to solve their problem. You have done everything you could think of, but you can’t close the deal, and you don’t know why. Continue reading →