Since the beginning of time, the rule has been 1 in 10. For every 10 contacts you make, 1 ends up being a customer.

Hold that thought.

When I dine out, I generally tip 15%. I don’t reward servers for being above average. I don’t punish them for being a little off. About 1 in 10 times I’ll tip more than 15% - when I’m rewarding excellence.

Now… if you were always at the top of your game. If you were always excellent. It would be reasonable to expect that people (in addition to a better tip or paying a higher price) would talk about you. And if people are talking about you as “excellent” - wouldn’t it be reasonable to assume that every day the number of prospects who turn into business would go up from 1?

Closing 1 out of 10 assumes you don’t know any of the 10. If people are coming to you with the impression that they know and trust you to do great things, 1 out of 10 is a bit feeble. When you consider that some businesses run entirely on strong word of mouth, using a 1 out of 10 approach is a commitment to being anything but excellent.