Home Business Profits with Ray Higdon

Sales Coach and Sales Trainer Ray Higdon

Ray Higdon is a bestselling author, IAOTP's #1 Sales Coach in the World, and CEO of the Higdon Group — an Inc. 5000 company that has helped sales teams generate over 300,000 new customers and 70,000+ new reps since 2017. On Home Business Profits, Ray delivers no-fluff, field-tested strategies for sales professionals who are tired of pressure, burnout, and chasing prospects who never convert. Using his proven 4P Method — Pipeline, Posture, Position, and Perspective — Ray shows you how to lead sales conversations with confidence, close without manipulation, and build a team that actually performs. Whether you sell products, services, or opportunities, the principles on this show will change how you prospect, follow up, close, and lead. Ray has shared the stage with Tony Robbins, John C. Maxwell, Les Brown, Robert Kiyosaki, Gary Vaynerchuk, and many more. His podcast has surpassed 10 million downloads. His latest bestseller, Faith Driven Wealth, features a foreword by John C. Maxwell — and his training company has helped thousands of sales teams produce measurable, repeatable results across dozens of industries. New episodes drop weekly. Subscribe and start closing.

  1. 5d ago

    How Do I Follow Up Without Sounding Annoying

    Follow up does not annoy prospects. Bad follow up does. In this episode Ray digs into why "just checking in" is the laziest, most ineffective message you can send, and gives you the two word mindset shift that fixes it for good: be busy. Ray explains that if you are not actually busy living a full life, building your business, spending time with your kids, growing in your faith, then it is time to get busy, because your schedule is dictating the speed of your success. Ray shares his tried and true script for reconnecting with someone you have not talked to in a long time, along with his three step follow up for cold market prospects who have gone quiet, a method he has personally taught for over a decade that gets over half of ghosters to respond. He also gives you his favorite line for warm market, friends and family who leave you on read, and explains exactly why it works almost every time. Most importantly, Ray reminds you that a response is not the goal. Moving someone closer to solving their problem is the goal, and that starts with knowing what that problem actually is better than you know your own product. 👉 HigdonGroup.com/Book 👉 Network Marketers for Jesus 👉 HigdonGroup.com/Channel 👉 BrotherUp.com Ray Higdon is a bestselling author of several books, a renowned inspirational speaker, earner of multiple seven figures in a multi-million dollar home-based business, and founder of the Higdon Group, a Fortune 5000 company, where he's helped clients generate over 500,000 new customers through his proven coaching programs (https://rayhigdoncoaching.com). Ray helps sales leaders create teams that perform without draining them. Partner with Ray: ★ Become A Rank Maker: https://rankmakers.com ★ Apply for Coaching: https://higdongroup.com/coaching ★ Invite to Speak: https://higdongroup.com/speaking ★ Order his Books: https://rankmakershop.com/collections/books-journals/book Connect with Ray: ★ Podcast: https://higdongroup.com/podcast ★ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rayhigdonpage ★ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rayhigdon ★ Twitter: https://twitter.com/rayhigdon ★ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rayhigdon Thank you for watching, and be sure to subscribe for more: https://www.youtube.com/@saleswithrayhigdon We believe in you! Ray Higdon More About Ray: Ray's Home Business Profits has had over 10 million downloads, with approximately 160k monthly downloads (https://higdongroup.com/podcast). As a top keynote speaker, Ray has shared the stage with world-renowned thought leaders, including Tony Robbins, Les Brown, Brendon Burchard, Robert Kiyosaki, Bob Proctor, Gary Vaynerchuk, Grant Cardone, Magic Johnson, and many more (https://higdongroup.com/speaking). Ray resides in Naples, Florida, with his wife Jessica, a prominent realtor. They have four children. As a follower of Jesus Christ, Ray incorporates faith-based principles into all of his decisions, life challenges, and business successes. They have raised over $1,000,000 to support families in need, fight human trafficking, and advance alternatives to traditional health care. Learn more about Ray Higdon: https://www.rayhigdon.com

  2. Aug 25

    Your Need for Approval Is Killing Your Income

    You can protect your image or grow your income. Rarely both. Ray pulls no punches in this episode, calling out one of the biggest silent killers of sales success: the need for approval. If you're holding back from reaching out, posting content, or making the ask because you're worried about what people think, that fear is costing you real money. Ray shares from his own journey — including the real estate folks who laughed at him when he moved into direct sales, and then later asked if he was hiring. This episode is a gut check on fixed versus growth mindset, and why the path to mastery has nothing to do with natural talent. Ray admits he was terrible at public speaking, video, and sales when he started. He kept going anyway. Now people call him a natural. The truth is, nobody sees the reps behind the results. Whether it's closing, networking, or marketing, you can get better at all of it — but only if you stop letting people who have nothing to do with paying your bills determine how far you go. Show up, do the work, and stop waiting for the applause that may never come. 👉 HigdonGroup.com/Book 👉 Network Marketers for Jesus 👉 HigdonGroup.com/Channel 👉 BrotherUp.com Ray Higdon is a bestselling author of several books, a renowned inspirational speaker, earner of multiple seven figures in a multi-million dollar home-based business, and founder of the Higdon Group, a Fortune 5000 company, where he's helped clients generate over 500,000 new customers through his proven coaching programs (https://rayhigdoncoaching.com). Ray helps sales leaders create teams that perform without draining them. Partner with Ray: ★ Become A Rank Maker: https://rankmakers.com ★ Apply for Coaching: https://higdongroup.com/coaching ★ Invite to Speak: https://higdongroup.com/speaking ★ Order his Books: https://rankmakershop.com/collections/books-journals/book Connect with Ray: ★ Podcast: https://higdongroup.com/podcast ★ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rayhigdonpage ★ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rayhigdon ★ Twitter: https://twitter.com/rayhigdon ★ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rayhigdon Thank you for watching, and be sure to subscribe for more: https://www.youtube.com/@saleswithrayhigdon We believe in you! Ray Higdon More About Ray: Ray's Home Business Profits has had over 10 million downloads, with approximately 160k monthly downloads (https://higdongroup.com/podcast). As a top keynote speaker, Ray has shared the stage with world-renowned thought leaders, including Tony Robbins, Les Brown, Brendon Burchard, Robert Kiyosaki, Bob Proctor, Gary Vaynerchuk, Grant Cardone, Magic Johnson, and many more (https://higdongroup.com/speaking). Ray resides in Naples, Florida, with his wife Jessica, a prominent realtor. They have four children. As a follower of Jesus Christ, Ray incorporates faith-based principles into all of his decisions, life challenges, and business successes. They have raised over $1,000,000 to support families in need, fight human trafficking, and advance alternatives to traditional health care. Learn more about Ray Higdon: https://www.rayhigdon.com

  3. Aug 18

    The Four Reasons Most People Never Reach Their Potential

    Most people say they want growth — right up until it requires change. In this episode, Ray gets real about why so many talented, driven people never actually hit the level they're capable of. He starts with a simple but convicting exercise: think of someone who should be further along, and someone who blew past every expectation. The gap between those two people? That gap might be telling you everything about where you're stuck. Ray breaks down the four reasons most people plateau: chasing acceptance and approval from others, confusing potential with actual output, staying down too long after a punch, and looking for fulfillment in things that can never deliver it. That last one hits different. Ray shares the moment at the end of 2019 when he had the money, the stages, the sold-out events — and still felt something missing. He connects it to a 60 Minutes interview with Tom Brady, a three-time Super Bowl champion who admitted he still wondered if that was all there was. The answer Ray found? Serving. Using the gifts God gave you to genuinely help people — that's where real fulfillment lives. And the good news is, if you do it right, the income follows too. 👉 HigdonGroup.com/Book 👉 Network Marketers for Jesus 👉 HigdonGroup.com/Channel 👉 BrotherUp.com Ray Higdon is a bestselling author of several books, a renowned inspirational speaker, earner of multiple seven figures in a multi-million dollar home-based business, and founder of the Higdon Group, a Fortune 5000 company, where he's helped clients generate over 500,000 new customers through his proven coaching programs (https://rayhigdoncoaching.com). Ray helps sales leaders create teams that perform without draining them. Partner with Ray: ★ Become A Rank Maker: https://rankmakers.com ★ Apply for Coaching: https://higdongroup.com/coaching ★ Invite to Speak: https://higdongroup.com/speaking ★ Order his Books: https://rankmakershop.com/collections/books-journals/book Connect with Ray: ★ Podcast: https://higdongroup.com/podcast ★ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rayhigdonpage ★ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rayhigdon ★ Twitter: https://twitter.com/rayhigdon ★ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rayhigdon Thank you for watching, and be sure to subscribe for more: https://www.youtube.com/@saleswithrayhigdon We believe in you! Ray Higdon More About Ray: Ray's Home Business Profits has had over 10 million downloads, with approximately 160k monthly downloads (https://higdongroup.com/podcast). As a top keynote speaker, Ray has shared the stage with world-renowned thought leaders, including Tony Robbins, Les Brown, Brendon Burchard, Robert Kiyosaki, Bob Proctor, Gary Vaynerchuk, Grant Cardone, Magic Johnson, and many more (https://higdongroup.com/speaking). Ray resides in Naples, Florida, with his wife Jessica, a prominent realtor. They have four children. As a follower of Jesus Christ, Ray incorporates faith-based principles into all of his decisions, life challenges, and business successes. They have raised over $1,000,000 to support families in need, fight human trafficking, and advance alternatives to traditional health care. Learn more about Ray Higdon: https://www.rayhigdon.com

  4. Aug 11

    Sales Lessons From Rich Dad, Poor Dad's Robert Kiyosaki

    Ray pays tribute to one of the books that kicked off his own entrepreneur journey back in 2004 — Robert Kiyosaki's Rich Dad Poor Dad. Before digging into the sales lessons, Ray shares the behind-the-scenes story of how that book almost never made it: rejected by publishers, self-printed in car washes, and saved by a 200,000-copy invoice from Amway legend Dexter Yager. That hustle story alone is worth the listen. From there, Ray pulls out the real gold — the sales principles woven throughout Kiyosaki's teachings that most people skip right past. Whether you're an entrepreneur, employee, or investor, you are always selling. Fear of rejection keeps people poor. And passive income dreams mean nothing if your active income skills aren't sharp first. Ray makes it plain: no matter what industry you're in, you're in the sales and marketing business. Master that, and everything else opens up. 👉 HigdonGroup.com/Book 👉 Network Marketers for Jesus 👉 HigdonGroup.com/Channel 👉 BrotherUp.com Ray Higdon is a bestselling author of several books, a renowned inspirational speaker, earner of multiple seven figures in a multi-million dollar home-based business, and founder of the Higdon Group, a Fortune 5000 company, where he's helped clients generate over 500,000 new customers through his proven coaching programs (https://rayhigdoncoaching.com). Ray helps sales leaders create teams that perform without draining them. Partner with Ray: ★ Become A Rank Maker: https://rankmakers.com ★ Apply for Coaching: https://higdongroup.com/coaching ★ Invite to Speak: https://higdongroup.com/speaking ★ Order his Books: https://rankmakershop.com/collections/books-journals/book Connect with Ray: ★ Podcast: https://higdongroup.com/podcast ★ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rayhigdonpage ★ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rayhigdon ★ Twitter: https://twitter.com/rayhigdon ★ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rayhigdon Thank you for watching, and be sure to subscribe for more: https://www.youtube.com/@saleswithrayhigdon We believe in you! Ray Higdon More About Ray: Ray's Home Business Profits has had over 10 million downloads, with approximately 160k monthly downloads (https://higdongroup.com/podcast). As a top keynote speaker, Ray has shared the stage with world-renowned thought leaders, including Tony Robbins, Les Brown, Brendon Burchard, Robert Kiyosaki, Bob Proctor, Gary Vaynerchuk, Grant Cardone, Magic Johnson, and many more (https://higdongroup.com/speaking). Ray resides in Naples, Florida, with his wife Jessica, a prominent realtor. They have four children. As a follower of Jesus Christ, Ray incorporates faith-based principles into all of his decisions, life challenges, and business successes. They have raised over $1,000,000 to support families in need, fight human trafficking, and advance alternatives to traditional health care. Learn more about Ray Higdon: https://www.rayhigdon.com

  5. Aug 4

    The Best Closers Ask Better Questions, Not Give Better Speeches

    Most people lose sales because they won't stop talking. Ray breaks down why the best closers aren't the ones with the most polished pitch — they're the ones asking the right questions. From handling "let me think about it" without flinching to understanding why your prospect's problem is actually getting worse over time, this episode is a masterclass in sales that actually works. Ray walks through real-world examples, including the classic "sell me this pen" scenario, and shows you exactly what to say when a conversation stalls. The goal isn't to impress — it's to uncover the pain your prospect is sitting with and help them see the cost of doing nothing. When you learn to expand the problem, the close takes care of itself. And Ray keeps it grounded: this skill only works ethically if you genuinely believe in what you're selling. Learn the questions, believe in your product, and watch everything change. 👉 HigdonGroup.com/Book 👉 Network Marketers for Jesus 👉 HigdonGroup.com/Channel 👉 BrotherUp.com Ray Higdon is a bestselling author of several books, a renowned inspirational speaker, earner of multiple seven figures in a multi-million dollar home-based business, and founder of the Higdon Group, a Fortune 5000 company, where he's helped clients generate over 500,000 new customers through his proven coaching programs (https://rayhigdoncoaching.com). Ray helps sales leaders create teams that perform without draining them. Partner with Ray: ★ Become A Rank Maker: https://rankmakers.com ★ Apply for Coaching: https://higdongroup.com/coaching ★ Invite to Speak: https://higdongroup.com/speaking ★ Order his Books: https://rankmakershop.com/collections/books-journals/book Connect with Ray: ★ Podcast: https://higdongroup.com/podcast ★ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rayhigdonpage ★ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rayhigdon ★ Twitter: https://twitter.com/rayhigdon ★ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rayhigdon Thank you for watching, and be sure to subscribe for more: https://www.youtube.com/@saleswithrayhigdon We believe in you! Ray Higdon More About Ray: Ray's Home Business Profits has had over 10 million downloads, with approximately 160k monthly downloads (https://higdongroup.com/podcast). As a top keynote speaker, Ray has shared the stage with world-renowned thought leaders, including Tony Robbins, Les Brown, Brendon Burchard, Robert Kiyosaki, Bob Proctor, Gary Vaynerchuk, Grant Cardone, Magic Johnson, and many more (https://higdongroup.com/speaking). Ray resides in Naples, Florida, with his wife

  6. Jul 28

    Why You're Losing Sales You Should Be Winning

    Most salespeople think they lost the deal because the prospect didn't have the money, wasn't ready, or found something cheaper. Ray Higdon says that's almost never the real reason. In this solo episode, Ray draws on decades of reviewing thousands of sales conversations to expose the one thing that kills more deals than anything else: failing to expand the prospect's problem. Here's the truth Ray lays out. Most people come to you with a "it'd be nice" problem. It'd be nice to make more money. It'd be nice to quit their job. And people with "it'd be nice" problems don't buy. Your job isn't to pitch harder or follow up more aggressively. Your job is to ask the right questions and help them feel the weight of what staying stuck is actually costing them. Ray shares the story of a client who owed $70,000 to the IRS and refused to invest another dime, right up until Ray helped him see that scraping and saving wasn't going to solve a big problem. That client hired Ray for $30,000, launched a six-figure campaign, paid off the debt, and kept going. That's what expanding the problem looks like in real life. If you want to close more sales without being pushy or salesy, this one is worth your full attention. 👉 HigdonGroup.com/Book 👉 Network Marketers for Jesus 👉 HigdonGroup.com/Channel 👉 BrotherUp.com Ray Higdon is a bestselling author of several books, a renowned inspirational speaker, earner of multiple seven figures in a multi-million dollar home-based business, and founder of the Higdon Group, a Fortune 5000 company, where he's helped clients generate over 500,000 new customers through his proven coaching programs (https://rayhigdoncoaching.com). Ray helps sales leaders create teams that perform without draining them. Partner with Ray: ★ Become A Rank Maker: https://rankmakers.com ★ Apply for Coaching: https://higdongroup.com/coaching ★ Invite to Speak: https://higdongroup.com/speaking ★ Order his Books: https://rankmakershop.com/collections/books-journals/book Connect with Ray: ★ Podcast: https://higdongroup.com/podcast ★ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rayhigdonpage ★ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rayhigdon ★ Twitter: https://twitter.com/rayhigdon ★ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rayhigdon Thank you for watching, and be sure to subscribe for more: https://www.youtube.com/@saleswithrayhigdon We believe in you! Ray Higdon More About Ray: Ray's Home Business Profits has had over 10 million downloads, with approximately 160k monthly downloads (https://higdongroup.com/podcast). As a top keynote speaker, Ray has shared the stage with world-renowned thought leaders, including Tony Robbins, Les Brown, Brendon Burchard, Robert Kiyosaki, Bob Proctor, Gary Vaynerchuk, Grant Cardone, Magic Johnson, and many more (https://higdongroup.com/speaking). Ray resides in Naples, Florida, with his wife Jessica, a prominent realtor. They have four children. As a follower of Jesus Christ, Ray incorporates faith-based principles into all of his decisions, life challenges, and business successes. They have raised over $1,000,000 to support families in need, fight human trafficking, and advance alternatives to traditional health care. Learn more about Ray Higdon: https://www.rayhigdon.com

  7. Jul 21

    Most People Want Results Without Becoming the Person Capable of Them

    You can have all the goals in the world. Write them down every morning. Vision board them on your wall. But if you're not becoming the person those goals actually require, nothing is going to change. In this solo episode, Ray Higdon cuts straight to the truth: most people don't fail because they lack goals. They fail because they won't do the personal becoming that the goal demands. And he's not just talking theory here. Ray walks you through a powerful exercise to expose the gap between what you want and who you currently are, then backs it up with real stories. A guy named Eric who skipped his mortgage payment to fly to Malaysia on a hunch and built a team of 20,000 people a month. A plumber named Roger who started filming himself unclog toilets, got laughed at for a year, and ended up with a $2 million sponsorship deal. These weren't lucky breaks. They were leaps of faith made by people who chose to become someone new. Ray ties it all back to scripture too, reminding us that Abraham, Joseph, Peter, and every other person God used greatly had to walk through discomfort to get to the fruit. The question isn't whether you have bold enough goals. The question is whether you're bold enough to become the person capable of reaching them. 👉 HigdonGroup.com/Book 👉 Network Marketers for Jesus 👉 HigdonGroup.com/Channel 👉 BrotherUp.com Ray Higdon is a bestselling author of several books, a renowned inspirational speaker, earner of multiple seven figures in a multi-million dollar home-based business, and founder of the Higdon Group, a Fortune 5000 company, where he's helped clients generate over 500,000 new customers through his proven coaching programs (https://rayhigdoncoaching.com). Ray helps sales leaders create teams that perform without draining them. Partner with Ray: ★ Become A Rank Maker: https://rankmakers.com ★ Apply for Coaching: https://higdongroup.com/coaching ★ Invite to Speak: https://higdongroup.com/speaking ★ Order his Books: https://rankmakershop.com/collections/books-journals/book Connect with Ray: ★ Podcast: https://higdongroup.com/podcast ★ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rayhigdonpage ★ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rayhigdon ★ Twitter: https://twitter.com/rayhigdon ★ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rayhigdon Thank you for watching, and be sure to subscribe for more: https://www.youtube.com/@saleswithrayhigdon We believe in you! Ray Higdon More About Ray: Ray's Home Business Profits has had over 10 million downloads, with approximately 160k monthly downloads (https://higdongroup.com/podcast). As a top keynote speaker, Ray has shared the stage with world-renowned thought leaders, including Tony Robbins, Les Brown, Brendon Burchard, Robert Kiyosaki, Bob Proctor, Gary Vaynerchuk, Grant Cardone, Magic Johnson, and many more (https://higdongroup.com/speaking). Ray resides in Naples, Florida, with his wife Jessica, a prominent realtor. They have four children. As a follower of Jesus Christ, Ray incorporates faith-based principles into all of his decisions, life challenges, and business successes. They have raised over $1,000,000 to support families in need, fight human trafficking, and advance alternatives to traditional health care. Learn more about Ray Higdon: https://www.rayhigdon.com

  8. Jul 14

    You Don't Have a Consistency Problem… You Have This Problem

    If you've ever told yourself you just need to be more consistent, Ray Higdon has something to say about that — and it might shift everything. In this solo episode, Ray breaks down why consistency isn't actually your problem. After two decades of coaching thousands of people, he keeps seeing the same root cause underneath the struggle, and it has nothing to do with habits, routines, or discipline. It's a belief problem. Ray gets personal here. He shares a powerful story about a panic attack backstage at Funnel Hacking Live in Nashville, in front of 5,000 people, and how that moment cracked open a deep belief he had carried since third grade — that trusting people leads to betrayal. That one belief quietly shaped how he showed up in relationships for years without him even knowing it. The same thing is happening with consistency. If part of you believes success means losing money, becoming someone you despise, getting cut off from family, or being hit up for cash, your subconscious will do the most efficient thing possible: keep you from being consistent. You can read every habits book ever written and nothing will stick until you ask yourself what you actually believe success will do to your life. That's where the real work begins. 👉 HigdonGroup.com/Book 👉 Network Marketers for Jesus 👉 HigdonGroup.com/Channel 👉 BrotherUp.com Ray Higdon is a bestselling author of several books, a renowned inspirational speaker, earner of multiple seven figures in a multi-million dollar home-based business, and founder of the Higdon Group, a Fortune 5000 company, where he's helped clients generate over 500,000 new customers through his proven coaching programs (https://rayhigdoncoaching.com). Ray helps sales leaders create teams that perform without draining them. Partner with Ray: ★ Become A Rank Maker: https://rankmakers.com ★ Apply for Coaching: https://higdongroup.com/coaching ★ Invite to Speak: https://higdongroup.com/speaking ★ Order his Books: https://rankmakershop.com/collections/books-journals/book Connect with Ray: ★ Podcast: https://higdongroup.com/podcast ★ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rayhigdonpage ★ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rayhigdon ★ Twitter: https://twitter.com/rayhigdon ★ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rayhigdon Thank you for watching, and be sure to subscribe for more: https://www.youtube.com/@saleswithrayhigdon We believe in you! Ray Higdon More About Ray: Ray's Home Business Profits has had over 10 million downloads, with approximately 160k monthly downloads (https://higdongroup.com/podcast). As a top keynote speaker, Ray has shared the stage with world-renowned thought leaders, including Tony Robbins, Les Brown, Brendon Burchard, Robert Kiyosaki, Bob Proctor, Gary Vaynerchuk, Grant Cardone, Magic Johnson, and many more (https://higdongroup.com/speaking). Ray resides in Naples, Florida, with his wife Jessica, a prominent realtor. They have four children. As a follower of Jesus Christ, Ray incorporates faith-based principles into all of his decisions, life challenges, and business successes. They have raised over $1,000,000 to support families in need, fight human trafficking, and advance

4.8
out of 5
343 Ratings

About

Ray Higdon is a bestselling author, IAOTP's #1 Sales Coach in the World, and CEO of the Higdon Group — an Inc. 5000 company that has helped sales teams generate over 300,000 new customers and 70,000+ new reps since 2017. On Home Business Profits, Ray delivers no-fluff, field-tested strategies for sales professionals who are tired of pressure, burnout, and chasing prospects who never convert. Using his proven 4P Method — Pipeline, Posture, Position, and Perspective — Ray shows you how to lead sales conversations with confidence, close without manipulation, and build a team that actually performs. Whether you sell products, services, or opportunities, the principles on this show will change how you prospect, follow up, close, and lead. Ray has shared the stage with Tony Robbins, John C. Maxwell, Les Brown, Robert Kiyosaki, Gary Vaynerchuk, and many more. His podcast has surpassed 10 million downloads. His latest bestseller, Faith Driven Wealth, features a foreword by John C. Maxwell — and his training company has helped thousands of sales teams produce measurable, repeatable results across dozens of industries. New episodes drop weekly. Subscribe and start closing.